Caring and Gratitude for Parents On Their Twilight Years

I came across a reality show on television featuring a sixty eight year old father whose old age brought him physical inadequacies that made him dependent to his only living son.  Unfortunately, the son and his wife maltreated the old man.

These are among the abuses done to this pitiful man who could no longer fend for himself.  He was chained like an animal inside a room, beaten, feed with food no longer fit for human consumption and abused verbally by people considered to be his immediate family.  Had it not been for the concern of some neighbors who could no longer stand the inhumanly treatment, these cruelties may have caused the untimely demise (which as it seems would be a blessing to his son and daughter in law) of the unfortunate old man.

During the confrontation the son claimed that he has secretly kept a long standing grudge against his father due to the favoritism (as he alleged) the old man had then over his other sibling (now dead)  while they were still young.  His wife reasoned out that she has more than enough tasks to attend to in her waking hours and  looking after the needs of the old man is something she could no longer manage to.  Some people from the audience including the moderators could not help shedding tears to empathize with what the poor old man had gone through.

Everyone of us and without exception will age by the passing of time.  Basing from this incident, it is important that we should be ready to face the drawbacks and inconveniences that aging brings.  But there is no foolproof formula how to prepare a secure old age as maltreatment happens not only to financially deprived persons but there are also cases of abuse to older people in families who are lavishly blessed.  It is here where family relationship comes in and counts most. 

It is true that it is parent’s obligation to take care of their children and provide them all the physical, psychological and financial help they need. It is parental responsibility too to ensure that their every child will grow up as a responsible person, an asset to society and be fully equipped to face life without expecting any remuneration.  Yes!  It is not children’s obligation to take care of their parents but, if they have the heart and the conscience, they should not let their parents rot in their old age. 

Caring should neither be a responsibility nor a show of affection for other people to appreciate and admire.  It is more of “a show of gratitude and love” to the persons who took good care of us when we were not capable yet of caring and shielding ourselves.  Caring is a priceless “thank you” to the persons who had shed blood sweat and tears to help us become the person we are now.  And who knows, what we are doing to our parents now may turn out to be manifestations of what our children will behave towards us years later.