Children need to respect old age parents
Author(s): Harpreet SandhuAuthor. Today world is heading towards new heights in terms of economic freedom, as the young generation is focusing on more innovative ways to lead their lives towards their achievements. Education on the other...
Today world is heading towards new heights in terms of economic freedom, as the young generation is focusing on more innovative ways to lead their lives towards their achievements. Education on the other end is also on the top gear, which is also helping the youngsters to accelerate their progress, but on the other hand while propelling hard for their careers youngsters are missing the most important part of their lives i.e. their parents, who are roots of the family tree, ignoring the reality of life that if roots are not taken care of the whole tree will get dried up.
Where are we heading for? Its really a matter of deep concern to witness where parents are insulted by their own children. It's hard when you're young and your parents are still instrumental in supporting you, once you enter middle age, however and your parents are very old, it becomes rather obvious how important it is to respect and support when they are approaching the old age. It’s shame witnessing the present generation losing sight of the need to actively respect their parents. If we see old age has never been a problem within our country where a value based, joint family system has been prevailing and even exists today in urban areas, moreover Indian culture defines the norms regarding respectful and supportive towards elders. It is shame on the part of kin’s whom old age parents have shifted to, “Old Age Homes” as these days majority of children have no time for aging parents and being neglected elders have started walking out of their own home in search of a journey with a group of people who share the same boat of life. Also Insecurity, loneliness and lack of companionship — some of life’s hard-to-swallow problems — become a daily reality for these elderly persons whose children either settle abroad, for greener pastures.
What has happened? Is it the “economic” problems in the families focusing more on lack of time by the children for the older parents or it is the lack of emotional support” from family members” further creating “a sense of insecurity” and feeling of “burden”, and old age parents considering it as an burden of insult but it is most uncalled to witness where daughters-in-law speaking very rudely to her old in-laws, this is a matter where old age family members are badly hurt may be emotionally or physically.
It has been a shock for the society to witness an 85-year old Man that too a former Chief Justice and his wife, who filed a petition in the Hon’ble High Court seeking respite from their own son and daughter-in-law, who they allege had made their lives a living hell and being a lawyer have witnessed several cases in courts where the respective parents are being deprived of their basic rights by their own kin’s. Are the children accepting it as the lack of adequate housing leading to a lack of physical and emotional space, that are making the old age parents shift to one corner of the house and as dependence of the older age due to extreme physical impairments? Even the lack of adjustment from the side of older persons is also essential and they must also adjust with the younger generation.
No doubt there are certain laws – such as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 – to protect the elderly. However, when it is day-to-day living within the private confines of homes that is at stake, laws and the justice system are often at a loss to address the problems.
Above all the legal remedy is not the basic solution for this problem, whereas people need to constitute love, sincerity, respect, tolerance within the families and the life can be more secure then what the law can provide.
(The Author is Practicing Lawyer, Punjab & Haryana High Court.)