What Parvati Shallow Watches (and Listens to) With Her Daughter

"We have family dinners every Monday or Tuesday night with this group of women I know who are in their 20s, so they're like big sisters to my daughter. They come over every week and it's a consistent routine, which I think is important because I want my daughter to have a family that's bigger than me and people that she can rely on. It's great, too, because I don't want to play role-play games with Ama, but these friends will, and she'll feel good because she gets to order around grown-ups."

"Shallow was raised in a cultlike Hindu commune in Florida, where she was named by the group's guru rather than her parents. Her 7-year-old daughter, Ama, has grown up enjoying the freedom and sunshine of L.A.'s west side. Shallow was also fairly isolated from entertainment in her home, not really absorbing much until her family left the commune when she was 9 and she got into the Baby-Sitters Club series."

"But look a bit deeper and there are more than a few similarities. Both Shallow and her daughter are nature crazed, with Shallow's childhood centering on walks in the woods and yoga classes while Ama's is more about trips to the beach. Shallow also says that, as a single mom, she's had to consciously try to create community for her daughter, inviting friends and family over for dinners and game nights."

"Those same friends have also stepped up, commune style, to help Shallow raise Ama, taking babysitting shifts and bringing their kids along, turning the mother-daughter duo's home into more of a village hub than an isolated outpost. Ama, on the other hand, has grown up with a mom who has not only given her access to TV, movies, and books but has become a keystone cultural figure through her devious and dominating work on shows like Survivor and The Traitors."

Parvati Shallow grew up in a cultlike Hindu commune in Florida, named by a guru and raised with limited entertainment until leaving the commune at age nine. Afterward, she discovered mainstream media through the Baby-Sitters Club series. Her daughter Ama grew up on the west side of Los Angeles with regular access to TV, movies, and books, shaped by Shallow’s public cultural presence through Survivor and The Traitors. Despite different environments, both have nature-centered routines, with Shallow focused on woods walks and yoga and Ama enjoying beach trips. Shallow, as a single mom, intentionally built community by inviting friends and family for dinners and game nights, creating a village-like support system with consistent weekly involvement.

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