Suniel Shetty reveals his ‘biggest wealth’: Why he prioritises family time over everything else

"Hum 6 baje baithte hai raat ko toh 10.30, 11 baje tak ussi hall mein baithe rehte hai aur kuch bhi baatein karte rehte hai," said the Hera Pheri actor.

Suniel Shetty on spending quality time with kids

Suniel Shetty with kids Athiya and Ahan (Source: Instagram/@sunielshetty)

4 min readNew DelhiSep 14, 2025 03:45 PM IST First published on: Sep 14, 2025 at 03:45 PM IST

In this day and age of digital connection leading to isolation, parents and children are moving farther away from one another. Spending quality time with kids has become need of the hour, and in conversation with Instant Bollywood, Suniel Shetty opened up about his daily ritual of doing just so with his children Athiya and Ahan Shetty.

“Ye sabse bada criminal hai, ye phone. I tell this to Athiya and Ahan and we spend a lot of time together without gadgets. And even if the gadget is at home, we spend a lot of time together. It’s not one or two hours. Hum 6 baje baithte hai raat ko toh 10.30, 11 baje tak ussi hall mein baithe rehte hai aur kuch bhi baatein karte rehte hai.”

“That is one thing I credit my children for. They also believe maa baap ke saath baithna is a good thing. Jo mere son-in-law-hai, unmein bhi ye baat hai. Aap mujhe 6 baje ke baad kabhi bhi phone kijiye video call kijiye, I’m always with my kids, that is my biggest wealth,” said the the Hera Pheri actor.

Rima Bhandekar, Psychologist at Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Trust told indianexpress.com that kids’ brains are wired to seek independence, take risks, and figure out who they are, but deep down, they’re looking for a space where they’re not judged, just heard. When parents become that space, children open up more, make better choices, and walk through life with more confidence.

Suniel Shetty with Ahan and son-in-law KL Rahul (Source: Instagram/@sunielshetty)

One of the common mistakes parents make is reacting emotionally to a child’s mistakes. If the parent’s first response is always annoyance or sermon mode, children slowly stop coming to you. Instead, take a breath, and say calmly, “Let’s think this over and talk about this later in a nice way.” It works better than a shouting match.

She reiterated that a child’s brain is growing, and needs space to think, choose, and sometimes fail in order to learn important life lessons.

“It might feel natural to want to control everything “for their own good,” but children crave individuality. If they’re used to being heard by parents, making their own choices, and being respected as individuals, they won’t likely need to rebel to find their voice,” said Bhandekar. According to her, it’s not about letting go of discipline— but letting children explain the reasons behind certain things that matter to them, and finding the middle ground.

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How can you reconnect with your children?

· Share quality time over a walk, car ride, or bedtime chat. Just have a lighthearted chat —about cricket, movies, memes, or food. Instead of jumping in with advice, try asking, “What do you think would help?” to earn their respect.

· Let them teach you something. Ask them how to use an app, play a game, or understand a trend. They’ll feel proud—and connected.

· Celebrate effort, not just results. Instead of saying “Why not X%?”, try “You worked hard—I saw that.” Teaching them a growth mindset matters more than you might think.