Even after 11 years of being a parent to two wonderful children, comedian Amit Tandon is till learning the tricks of the trade. He fumbles often, but never fails. In his words, he is still work in progress. In his upcoming show, Honey, I Survived the Kids, the stand-up comedian talks about how even after much experience, he only knows as much about raising children as any other clueless dad. But he never seizes to try and understand the two little characters who run the show in his life.
Being staged at Epicentre in Gurgaon, this comedy show talks about everything that Tandon tried and learnt while handling kids. All his successes and failures will be explicitly narrated, along with the painstaking yet pleasurable journey of being a parent. “I’ve tried all manner of things with my kids to make them follow instructions. From threatening to bribing, from begging to scolding, every tactic has been put to test. But, kids will be kids, I guess. They’ll do what they want,” says Tandon, adding, “Having said that, I actually think I am very good with my children. I can change diapers, switch TV channels and drink beer, all at the same time,” he says laughing.
The self-confessed super dad takes full credit for the way he’s bringing up his 11-year-old son Amal and 10-year-old daughter Sanvi. “I have learnt from both experiences—that of being a son and a father. I find myself saying the same things that my father used to tell me. And of course, just like I used to, my kids ignore me many times,” says the comedian, who will be touching on such themes of parenting. It’s a topic on which he can endlessly humour about, as everyday, according to him, something amusing transpires. “The other day, my daughter came to me and told me how she used a swear word for a friend. Least to say, I was stumped as to where she had picked this kind of language from and what had made her use it. The most surprising part was that she actually came and told me,” says Tandon, adding, “It is incidents like these that make me realise that parents can never be a child’s friends. If I had been friendly towards her actions, I would have probably take the whole thing lightly, but that didn’t happen. She got a scolding that I am sure she’ll always remember. There is always a dichotomy what to say and how to react, and it is these little dilemmas that make parenting difficult and delightful at the same time,” says Tandon.