Value of money is a concept that's understood very differently by everyone and it is mostly destorted, as in India financial education had never been part of the official curriculum. This meaning is derived by people according to their experiences and exposure. Many Parents in their 40s and 50s now have a very strategic view. These parents are first generation in India that has had enough exposure to investing, financial planning, and self-awareness are looking back and saying "I wish someone had told me this earlier." They recognize that money is an important tool that could give one a better life but it's only a tool and not everything in life. People either chase it desperately or fear losing it. But when it's seen as a tool, the relationship becomes calmer and more intentional.  They also understand the importance of investing and responsibility and it doesn't come from a place of fear. Responsibility that comes from understanding looks like making conscious choices, planning ahead, and feeling in control. That's the version parents want for their teens.

These Parents understood what I feared the most. Many parents in India still connect self-worth to money, hence the decisions that they make for themselves and their teenagers are driven from this distorted belief. It keeps their child running on the invisible hamster wheel chasing money to prove their worth to parents, society, and to themselves. In India specifically, this shows up in very visible ways: the pressure around marks, college admissions, job titles, salaries being discussed openly at family gatherings. These aren't just cultural quirks, they're moments where a teen quietly absorbs the message that their value is measurable. However, these progressive parents understood that self-worth isn't measured by how much one earns or doesn't earn, rather it's inherent within each individual. 

This is quite common amongst teens and young adults. Emotions run money decisions. Frustration, anxiety, lonliness, happiness and glominess are just some of the feelings that teens operate from. Hiding bad marks from parents induces shame in a teen which leads to overeating or overbinging Netflix. And, money is spent to buy more food, groceries and make in-app purchases online. What looks like just another buy actually hides a deep emotional pattern that many teenagers run with. These progressive parents understood this pattern and confirmed how important emotional awareness is while imparting financial skills. Budgeting, investing and forecasting do not work if there is no emotional awareness.

So what makes Learn with Films program different. A teen who just did well on an exam might celebrate by spending impulsively just as much as one who is hiding shame. The emotion changes, but the pattern is the same. Most teens don't connect the bad grade on Monday to the Swiggy order on Tuesday. The dots are rarely joined in real time, which is exactly why emotional awareness needs to be taught deliberately, not assumed. Most financial literacy programs jump straight to the "how": how to save, how to budget without addressing the "why behind the why." We also look at values and principles that a teen silently build watching their Parents handling money. We do this by watching relatable film scenes that safely calls out a pattern without shaming or blaming anyone. And discussing what different choices teens can make going further. This isn't about judging what parents did or didn't do, it's about making the invisible visible so teens can make conscious choices of their own.

The result? A Cool Finance Ninja. A teen who is calm and composed while making money choices. Who doesn't impulsively spend left, right and centre. Who is conscious, asks good questions, and understands that money is a tool not a measure of their worth.

That is exactly what every parent I spoke to was wishing for.