Core values, like gender equality and human rights, should be taught within the family unit. To a certain extent, our parents are our role models. I do believe love is about sacrifice, and every family should be built on this value. But, in our modern world, we see aged parents being neglected at home, with their health or well-being completely overlooked. In my state in India, Kerala, children are in search of old-age homes, where they can send their parents.
Many of us have wonderful childhood memories with our parents and grandparents. The love and bonding was greater in days past. Parents often taught us good values and morals, through interesting stories and incidents that stayed in our minds. We could often find comfort and solace in their words and actions, and even the greatest problems could be solved easily with their help. We only had to confide in them. They also set good examples through their lives and we tend to follow them even today. Whether it was through providing food for hungry neighbours or lending a few dirhams to take a sick child to the hospital, these actions left a long-lasting impact on us, as children. The new generation often looks towards their parents only for material needs. They find it difficult to confide in them. Parents, too, spend very little quality time with their children, nowadays. Everyone seems busy with their own lives and there is very little interaction between family members. This creates a gap that only increases and often, people are unable to bridge it, with passing years.
Some children don’t have the time to look after their parents and are often seen chasing money and luxury. This is when parents at home are neglected. Their basic needs, at times, are not met and they are not provided with proper treatment. As human beings, we should give proper attention, love and care to our parents and we should not expect anything in return. It’s the primary duty of any child to look after his/her parents when they are weak and old. If a child remembers how he/she was looked after during childhood days, I don’t think he/she would ever think of neglecting parents.
- The reader is a logistics manager based in Dubai.
