Children expect their parents to understand their new age lifestyle yet they rarely want to accept their parents outlook. I guess it is a natural phenomenon which is probably called generation gap.

We all think our parents are Superman or Superwoman, the harsh reality is, in their golden years children need to accept responsibility and try to be helpful rather than being a burden.

In my views some of the biggest concerns of parents are;

1) If a child has special needs then who will look after him or her after their demise.

2) If a child is single or unmarried then how will they manage on their own.

3) Parents normally do not pass on their tensions on children but children expect their parents to understand and listen to their issues.

Parents who have dependent children have a lot of mental baggage which is a real concern and not philosophical. Though they may not say it on the face but internally they go through a lot of trauma and sense of helplessness.
Sometimes life is not straight forward, there are circumstantial issues which neither the parents nor the children can resolve. I guess one has to live with it and make the best of the situation.

We tend to overlook that ageing of parents is a natural progression, yet we expect them to always remain strong and young. Probably it is the fear of children who don’t want to acknowledge and expect that caregiving is a two way street.

No parent wants to die an unhappy death or with guilt, all one can do is to try to keep them emotionally happy if not being around to help them when they need us the most.

Pankaj Mehrotra