Do we owe a debt to our parents?
Someone asked me this question today. With Mother’s Day just behind us and Father’s Day coming up, it’s a good time to think about this question.
Do we owe our parents anything for having raised us, given us values, taught us to mind our manners and be respectful? What if we were raised in an abusive family?
Do we feel our children owe us anything?
I’d like to know what you think.
Tags: baby boomers, father's day, mother's day, parentsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Being A Boomer, Boomers: The Sandwich Generation, Just Because You Can, Mindset
1 opinion for Do we owe a debt to our parents?
David Lindberg
May 21, 2008 at 6:01 am
Being a parent myself with two daughters, 19 and 29 years of age, I do not feel that they owe me anything as we brought them into this world. People have children for many reasons, but I will limit my comments to wanted and planned events. We had children for our own feelings, to have the feeling and responsibility of knowing what love of two people can bring into this world when combined into a single human being with the traits of both parents. It is then the parents responsibility to provide for that child’s welfare and safety. It may not work out to be exactly as people plan as we are all human and make mistakes, but we still need to do the best we can. All a parent should really wish for in return is that their children turn out to be loving, caring and respectful of others… hopefully resulting in their ultimate happiness.
I do feel that this is also a cultural thing as there were times in the past when children meant carrying on a family name or carrying on the family business, or in the case of farmers, help with the tremendous amount of work involved. These were not wrong reasons, it’s just the way the culture was at the time.
As a last thought, I do feel that the amount of care and love provided to children can nurture a life long relationship that may create a relationship where children may want to give back. This is the ultimate gift if you have done your job as a parent well. We all hope to achieve this, but should not have children merely to expect it.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: