Sometimes I feel that filial piety is a blank check that is misused.
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I have friends whose parents retired early and make their children support them. Some even have to support their grandparents who are still around. Talk about being the ultimate sandwich.
Why do parents feel entitled to “claim” so much?
Ironically, it’s often the parents who were poor who demand a lot from their children. Like, using their working children to escape from their own humdrum jobs. Asking their children for overseas trips since they never had the chance to go.
To those who happily give their parents a lot, I would like to know why.
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Here are what netizens think:
- Yr parents won’t be there forever and if you have to support them for a very long time then it’s actually a happy problem. Good luck.
- when i started working in the 80s and earned $170, i gave $100 to my mother and worried not enough to support her. I will give her my 1 month bonus so that she can make preparation for CNY and i was happy that i can contribute. I have seen how hard my parents worked – everyday no rest and long hours from young, i learned to cook, iron and do many household chores to lighten my mother burden at age 7. After my O level, i quit school to work and studied part-time at night to get my diploma, degree and master. I have never, ever, blamed my late parents or wish i was borne to rich family. I didn’t care whether my older siblings contributed their salaries or not, i am doing what i wanted to do. My late parents had never requested anything from us, no matter how hard life were for them, they just kept on providing what they could and all i have is gratitude and nothing else.
- it is not the children faults, why? Many people said today children are different, but i realised children are different because of their parents. I have met so many ‘cannot’ parents, oh, my kids cannot do this, cannot do that, cannot go to school by themselves even though it is only 3 blocks away, parents drive them to school, or i booked taxi if they cannot do it by themselves. at age 14, cannot boil water because it is dangerous, etc…… Parents today like to show their children how successful they are. what the children sees, oh, my parents drive, work in office, laptops, handphones, travels. they didn’t see how hard their parents need to ‘act’, ‘fake’, work hard in order to survive. If children thinks that my parents got easy and success life they only care for themselves and wanted more from their parents.