Madhavan recalls studying in ‘wild Canadian town’, was surrounded by teenage pregnancy, drugs: ‘Got the perfect advice there, used it for son Vedaant’

R Madhavan spoke about the parenting tip he picked up from a town in Canada which wa snotorious for drug and alcohol problems.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 30, 2025 04:55 PM IST

3 min read

R Madhavan (right) with son Vedaant. (Photo: R Madhavan/Instagram)

Actor R Madhavan spent some time in Canada while he was growing up and in a recent interview, he recalled the days when he lived as an exchange student with a Canadian family. He recalled that this little town in Canada, which he didn’t name, had a huge drug and alcohol problem, and there were many cases of teenage pregnancy there. But, the family that he lived with, had managed to keep their kids on the right path. He shared the parenting that he learnt from the woman of the house, that helped him with son Vedaant.

In a chat with Radhika Gupta on the YouTube channel 100 Year Life Project by ACKO, Madhavan recalled, “I had the privilege of studying abroad and I lived in a town in Canada, which was pretty wild for those times. Teenage pregnancy was rampant over there. Drugs and alcohol was a part of that town. I found one family that I stayed with, their children, absolutely normal as can be. Very well brought up. Not into any of these issues.”

He further shared that many years later, he asked the “lady of the household” how she managed to do that, and her advice changed things for him. “She gave me an advice which I followed to the heart and it really worked for my son,” he said and added, “She said, ‘don’t give your child free time’. She said, ‘indulge him or her in whatever they want to do, as long as they are doing it with passion, the interest will change. Their level of commitment will change. But make sure that they don’t have free time until they’re 15-16 years old. Make sure that they go from one activity to the other.”

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Madhavan said that the activities chosen for this purpose must be fun, and shouldn’t feel like a chore, but the day of the child must be packed with activities so “it doesn’t give them time to dwell on things that they shouldn’t be at that age.”

Madhavan’s son Vedaant is 20 and has been a competitive swimmer from a very young age. He has participated in Commonwealth Youth Games, Malaysian Open and Thailand Open among other competitions where he has won medals for India. Madhavan shifted to the UAE during Covid to ensure Vedant’s practice continues unhindred.

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