Is this really what children are for???

My children have their own lives and families I wouldn't want to be a burden on them. I most certainly would not expect them to look after me. I helped care for my mum until she went to a care home it was physically and mentally very stressful. I would not put that responsibility on my family.

Civilisation, on the other hand, is about looking after the weak (among other things), so it's natural (up to a point) for old people to expect some kind of support, initially from their offspring if they have any.

Children, including the offspring of other animals, plants, life-forms) are to continue one's genes. That, ultimately, is what all life is about. I suppose one could call it the naked life force.

No!

My youngest son and his partner chose not to have children and he gets asked about this a lot from friends and colleagues. He says it sounds as if they had children so they would have someone to look after them in old age

Davida1968

Certainly not! IMO children need to be free to live their lives.
However I don't think that any GNs who have "expectations" of support from their children, will admit it, here!

I have absolutely no expectations of support from any of our 5 children. We are financially able to fund our care home fees if needed, and pay folks to do jobs which we no longer feel inclined or unable to do.

Four of our AC would be horrified and extremely hurt if we refused or denied them the opportunity to help, the fifth not so, but that is personal choice not expectation.

Certainly not! IMO children need to be free to live their lives.
However I don't think that any GNs who have "expectations" of support from their children, will admit it, here!

Good Lord, no!
I would never expect - or want - help from adult dds, and have told them so in very plain words. They have protested that they’d be happy to help, but unlike me, they have not had the experience of elderly relatives needing help and care.

However much you may love your frail, elderly relatives, I doubt that many people would deny that they can become an exhausting worry - especially if dementia is involved.
And yes, a burden.

Our dds will have their own busy lives to lead, and ?there should be enough money to pay for help, if needed.

Different cultures have different expectations of what is expected of their children.

In my family my earliest memories are of great grandma at paternal grandparents, ensconced in a huge bed where I curled up beside her sucked her peppermints whilst she told stories. My Maternal great grandma lived two doors down from my granny, I was allowed to visit whenever I wanted and by the age of 5 skipped to her home on my own (no doubt Mum or granny were watching)
My parents took care of their parents, I had my lovely mum live with me for the last four months of her life, previously she was included in all family occasions by us and her grandchildren, we took her shopping, out to dinner and helped her in the home and garden.

So speaking personally I think taking care of our family members is what we do, we do it willingly with love without the need for any pressure of expectation.

Absolutely not the reason I wanted children. Heaven forbid that either of mine should feel they have to look after me in my old age.

Thank you, you have all restored my faith in parents!!! Although I am not his birth mother, my step son and I are very close, even though he is on the other side of the world! With his Dad, and now in my own, we have always helped, encouraged and supported each other, but it is out of the great love we share, not through any sense of duty.

Certainly not. But in some cultures there is an expectation that children will look after ageing parents, children grow up knowing and witnessing that and it is taken very seriously.

I definitely didn't have children to make my declining years easier. It's a biological urge to propagate the species, isn't it? I wanted to be a mum and I have loved being a mum and a grandma. We help each other out by doing little things for each other but I would never expect help, and for big things I buy help in.

As FannyCornforth says surely a tongue-in-cheek comment?

I hope my children will feel able to help out here should we need it - as indeed I already ask DS and SiL to help with heavy lifting as they are both fitness fanatics, but I don't expect it or feel it is my due. We do a fair amount of childcare and cooking for them. Give and take is just what families do isn't it?
But that is not why we had children!

And don’t you expect it! I’ve got two sons both of them overseas, so will have to have paid help if and when. But no that’s not the reason we have them!

Absolutely NO.......I had my children because I desperately wanted to be their Mum. Despite the tears and sleepless nights (and I am not just talking about when they were babies!!), they have all given me countless times of wonderful enjoyment. I am so proud of them and love them all to bits.

I do feel very guilty whenever I have to ask any of them for any sort of assistance. I do try to be as little intrusive as possible in their (busy) lives, and appreciate any time they can spend with me and/or for me.

I do know that there are some cultures that do have the expectation that children have a duty towards their parents, etc. and that is fine for them and works. However, in UK that is not the norm and I really do hope that the reasons the majority of us had our children is because we so much wanted to have a child.

Must say I do often really feel for the generation who are now in their mid-50's to mid-60's. My generation are the longest lived of any generation and so many of them are having to cope with aged parents (on one hand), as well as their own AC needing some form of help - whilst also having their own problems.

I think that she was probably joking, or saying it tongue in cheek.
It’s a lot easier, and probably cheaper, to employ carers or ‘staff’ than to bring up a family

Of course not