Money, family and expectations...

I have been thinking quiet sometime about money issues and how the society holds us liable into bailing out our parents once we grow our own wings and leave the nest. I've read on the issue online and was surprised at how objective some people really feel that we owe it to our parents our financial support for the obvious reasons that they gave us life and saw us through school to the independence we now possess. This of course applies to those who had rigorous and loving parents who played their roles right.

As their child, I think I also owe it to myself for having danced to their tunes, worked hard and turned out just fine. It was a symbiotic relationship, whereby they wanted the best out of me and I pursued just that. Not all parents push themselves beyond their limits to provide for their kids, on the other hand, not all kids work as hard as their parents expect them to inorder to make it in life. Otherwise, why do we choose to bear children? So that we may enslave them later on in life?

At my age, I'm inclined to think that if I owed my parents a debt, then I've paid it and even overpaid it, that is, if one can afford to place a price tag on their existence or what's dictated by the society. For instance, dowry payment (topic for another day). For one, I didn't ask to be born, but now that I'm here, I am definitely their responsibility as it is them who chose to bring me forth. Of course it's a taboo subject to broach but in my case, I don't want history to repeat itself.

I choose to have kids, I want them to be in a situation whereby they'll know that they can look up to me for anything for as long as I'm living and not the other way round. For one, my pride won't allow me to borrow money from my children leave alone become financially dependent on them once I retire. It would suck being put up in an elderly home if I get to live to that overripe age whereby I'll have lost all my functionalities and shall be drooling about in diapers. But that too shall be anticipated in the present age and a program laid out to handle it out in future.

Meanwhile, I'll continue bailing out my parents as it is expected of me and ensuring that they are happy as they enjoy their retirement.