Shark Tank Judge Namita Thapar stirs 70-hour work-week debate with her take on 'Adolescence' on Netflix

Shark Tank India judge and Emcure Pharmaceuticals Executive Director Namita Thapar has reignited the ongoing debate on work-life balance with her reflections on Netflix's British miniseries Adolescence. In a LinkedIn post, Thapar shared her thoughts on parenting and the challenges of balancing professional aspirations with family responsibilities, drawing parallels to the themes explored in the series.


Thapar praised Adolescence for its portrayal of the impact of social media on mental health and family dynamics, particularly its exploration of the struggles faced by teenagers and their parents. She emphasised the importance of being present in a child's life, stating, "Parenting is about being available for your kids, not just physically but emotionally too. Adolescence is a wake-up call for all of us."

Read Namita Thapar’s complete hereMY TAKE ON PARENTING

“Adolescence”on Netflix & 70 hr work week - a correlation & evidence based opinion


As a parent of teens (my boys are 19 & 14) this show stirred something deep in me.

My thoughts for whatever they are worth -


Kids are fragile. They idolise their parents. If they feel they are not living up to the parents expectations & that their parents are “ ashamed of them”, they have massive pent up negativity. This combined with bullying by peers can explode either through 1) kid taking it out on themselves- hating themselves, developing low self esteem & mental health issues or 2) kid taking it out on others

The important part here is that parents may have no bad intent & may not even be aware

In the show, Jamie idolized his dad. His dad wanted to toughen him up by exposing him to football & boxing. Jamie sucked at both. Jamie felt that his father looked away as his father was ashamed. His father never communicated & clarified that that wasn’t true.


In my case, I had a thick voice, facial hair, very tomboyish, hated rituals or anything overly feminine like nail paint, mehendi etc as a teen. My mom got worried, made me take singing classes, kathak classes, walk with a book on my head in an attempt to make me more “ feminine”… perfectly sweet soul, perfectly good intent but it left scars. My father felt I didn’t go to a good enough school, tried moving me to a better one, didn’t succeed, I felt he was “ ashamed”. Many other stories but I won’t bore you. Bottomline, 2 good parents, great intent but their actions led to years of low self esteem & emotional eating. I recovered, got stronger. Not everyone does..


So what’s the solution ? The “self driven child” book suggests that every parent should let the child make their own decisions & learn on their own, have their own journeys. I agree. Detach. Stop trying to fix things you feel they lack or could do better at..But over communicate ….over communicate ….over communicate how proud you are of them & how you are always there for them… the “I’m proud of you” part being most important


CONFIDENCE IS THE BEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR CHILD. The minute you see signs of low confidence, course correct, get professional help


Tragedy & reality, in Jamie Millers case, he was locked in his room & his dad started working 70/ 90 hours a day & these signs were missed.

If we choose to bring a child in this world, let’s ensure we give them TIME ..that we have work life balance to catch these signs early & course correct. Say NO to 70 hour weeks or if you want that life say NO to being a parent !

I rest my case….


Hope the proponents of 70/90 hour a week watch this show ….