I will be using a stick to splash mud. Please forgive me if it seems like I'm speaking directly to you—just see it as God opening your eyes to something new, and know that He is not angry with you.
I came across a summer school advertisement where the word "fee" was replaced with "investment." As a graduate of Business Administration, I understand that lNVESTMENT typically refers to the act of allocating resources, usually money, with the expectation of generating income or profit over time.
I searched the Scriptures to find where the Bible encourages parents to view their children as investments or retirement plans, but I found nothing of the sort. What I did find is that children are instructed to honor and obey their parents.
"I am confident that a child who honors and obeys will naturally take care of his or her parents in their old age."
However, what the Bible does say is that parents should leave a legacy for their children.
2 Corinthians 12:14: "After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children."
Proverbs 13:22: "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children..."
Remember, your children are not your retirement fund. Strive to be financially independent and do not rely on your children for your future.
Plan ahead for your retirement and have only the number of children you can afford. If your children choose to help you, it should be out of love and not obligation. Don’t burden them with responsibilities you couldn’t fulfill yourself.
Allow your children to live their own lives without expecting anything in return. While they may choose to support you, it should be voluntary, not forced. By then, they will have their own families to care for, and we owe it to ourselves to maintain our dignity, even in sickness and old age.
As children, offer help out of gratitude, not obligation. As parents, accept it with gratitude, not entitlement.
Break the cycle. End this toxic culture.
The Yoruba proverb that says, "If a rodent grows old, it will suck the breast of its child," does not apply to you because you are not an OKETE (rodent).
