in most eastern cultures it is the responsiblity of the younger to care for the older, partly to return the love, but mostly out of respect. in our culture, where the elderly are often forgotten and shuffled to the side, there is no proper sign of respect. too often we find our aging withering away in nursing homes, not wanting to be a burden on anyone while at the same time craving the attention of their loved ones.
we owe it to those who have empowered us, those who have given us meaning and substance to be there when they need us most. only then, can we fully know the word family.
thought-provoking post...
i come from a similar family... most of the elder generation, that is my grandmothers peers are still working, and have worked since they were teenagers... they say they work because if they stop they will die, but i wonder if the economic concern is there as well... and the younger generation, my grandmother's kids and their peers, they seemed to have made the same decisions, no one has been able to keep a job for a long period of time.... sure some of them have worked for 30 years or more, but what is 30 years of work for dozens of employers? anyhoo, i only pray that they are saving their money....
wow...that's an interesting vestige of another era...the family paying a pension to their retired domestic worker.
i posted something about family members and bygone eras myself today.
Unfortunately, this is reality for many of our families...
among so many of our other struggles, we are still as a whole trying to acquire wealth and stability.
That is, wealth defined in terms of gaining enough money to support ourselves.
Yes. It does come down to our responsibility to our elders. That's how it should be
Post on family - there is a lot of the going around. This post is so fitting. The elderly are getting a bad rap in the US mostly due to them living longer and developing illnesses where most can't fend for themselves. That is whats most troubling. So many children are now forced to take care of their parents and many don't have the money or resources to do so. Nursing homes are expensive. To have good one is like $70,000 a year and many children have to take on that it the parent doesn't have savings. So the next opinion it so move them in with them. That causes a lot of change in lifestyle for the entire family. It even effects the workforce. People are trying to extend the Family Leave Act that was put in place for parents to be allowed time off to tend their children. They now want to extend that their elder parents since it is becoming common place. That is a tough one for employers to swallow since the elderly are grown. Tough situation.
Happy Valentines Day....i know im late with this...lol
wow.
i watched my mom and my aunt take care of my grandmother until she died. since then, i've been wondering how i (an only child) will accomplish the same feat.
honestly, it terrifies me to watch my mom get older ... and worse, wondering if I'll have the resources to give her all she needs in those declining years.
where is that best-seller when I neeed it?
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