The unwanted aging: The curse of being elderly
Do you know the hardest part of life? That happened when it felt like no one could remember us, nothing really had the courage to be with us despite what was happening and what we did from them. Somehow do you see yourself in others? Those elders who were dwelling somewhere, asked what happened and the answer was that because no one wanted them, they must live alone just to survive, they had a small tent somewhere cold and the heat was still in their care. What if it's happened not now but soon enough when we get old.
I often read articles based on the topic where a child wasn't that investment. This is true, parents should not expect huge things upon growing their own child. Responsibility for the record. Lots of stories dictate they get pressured because of that happening. They must live the life they want.
That is in western countries, Asians especially the Philippines could be really impossible to adopt. In another country when you stepped up to the legal age of 18 you will be considered an adult [1]. Some are dwelling independently. Other choices: the life of their choice, living in a room where they would be the boss of their own. In the Philippines, at the age of 18, you were still coming to freshman age in college due to the K-12 program allowing the school year requirement added with at least two more years than the casual. [2]
In our country, at the age of 18, some are still under the supervision of our parents until they reach twenty. More college students are still relying on their parents when it comes to allowance and their school necessities.
That's the difference between western and Asian, because of too family bond family ties. Parents still need to give allowance and things needed to finally claim the honor. In western countries, the government supported their young students with a loan [3] allowing them to borrow money depending on their graduate status and professionality that they had.
In the Philippines it's not popular, instead, the parent will take charge of a loan and they will be in charge of that.
To the question, does there a child is there investment? In my view, if you were in another country where privilege is given as high as possible in your legal age it must be yes, but when you were in a family where they are still your parents doing all the hardest part of the job just to finish your degree, I think we should cover ourselves in the exemption.
Especially when your parent has no cover of retirement benefit for they only rely on what the daily thing they could provide to the family.
Because of the idea that parents should and just needed to support their children for they own and make them is reasons why some elders are being abandoned by their own Childs. and the thinking that parents should really be labeled as responsible for all their child's life, some just give and give until nothing is left for them.
According to A.D Mayol 2020, the number of abandoned elders is abruptly rising in the Philippines and more and more elders are forced to work just to feed themselves. Most of them are in the age of 70 and up high numbers, no gender men and women in their old ages. [4]
This is a sad reality that we all witnessed it with our own eyes and sometimes we just ignored the issue. Children think that because of the age difference, mind reversing attitude they think they are just a burden, some say that they waste time.
Based on the PopCom 2021 (Commission on Population and Development), In the Philippines, 8% of the total population was older prior to the age of 60 and up [5]. There are 108 Million people who are dwelling and trying to move their weakened legs and imagine how many elders are abandoned instead of being cared for by their own families.
That's is the reason why elders in the Philippines don't want to stop working and trying still to prove that their legs wasn't hurt, they were stronger than the buffalo because they don't want to be a burden in their families, or worst they are afraid that no one will take care of them when they were weak and sick.
Do you know that elders are also protected by law?
From the news article written by F. Fabonan III 2019 [6]. He said that Sen, Lacson wanted to take action by penalizing the children who neglect their elders. Under this proposed bill by the said senator a child if proven guilty of not providing support will be charged P100,000 and could have six months of a prison stay, and P300,000 for abandoning their elders with some record of 6 to 10 years of prison. If this bill will save the elders from roaming in the street or living by just themselves, I hope the bill will be passed by law-making bodies.
Why am I writing this article? because I could see when I went to the city to purchase my computer, more and more elders were begging in the street. Some of them had no facemask and at worst they were sick.
My heartfelt something, children abandoning their parents indeed they had their reasons but is that truly enough?.
Well, a child is really not an investment, but a parent should not be the bank. Remember that parents do their job as much as they do, we are not obliged to repay them but please don't neglect or abandon our parents. Thanks for reading…
Now, when we come to the subject, I don't think I want to grow old. It is true that children are not capital, we did not choose to live but our parents did. But, as children who have been given enough and raised well, it is our right to repay what our parents have given us.