Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty on Monday opened up about his relationship with his children and how dynamics have changed where his son and daughter - Ahan and Athiya - have become the guiding light for him. The actor said his relationship with his children has evolved into a friendship but strangely, past a certain point, their dynamics started to change.

"From me being their guiding light and moral compass for all those years, the equation has reversed off late. Since my Dad passed, amazingly, my kids have taken his place. Now, I lean on them for direction and perspective," Shetty wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday.

Talking about his daughter, the actor said Athiya is a gentle and kind soul, comfortable in her own skin. "Nothing fazes her. She has got this ‘Zen-like calmness. Fiercely independent, and yet so adaptive. She is sure and focussed. Watching her go about her life in the last few years, I have felt the urge to be more like her. And it’s led to a very conscious attempt at being more calm, mindful and more open," he states.

Ahan, he says, pushes him to be better every day. "Whether it's my fitness or how I conduct myself around others. And not by telling me things, but by just simply being the kind of man he has turned out to be," Shetty writes, adding that his son is polite, doesn’t speak unless he is clear about what he wants to communicate, lives by the belief that there’s space for everyone under the sun, and is genuinely invested in the growth of people he loves. "And like my Dad, he’s very gentle in conflict," the actor says.

Shetty also mentions why he is putting this out on social media platform. He says as professionals, business persons, entrepreneurs, and artists, people have the tendency to look outwards for inspiration. People want to be more like that person who’s got their dream job, they want to have the same body language of a great speaker, they want to have the pitching skills of so and so founder.

"Take a moment to look around you. At your parents, kids, your friends or your own team. It may be easier to imbibe some of their best qualities. It will be a lot easier to communicate with them. The feedback they’ll give you will be more meaningful. And they want nothing but the best for you. Who they might inspire you to be, may just be the person you really want to or need to be," the actor says.