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i suspect all of us here, are fairly well off, to the extent we educated our children, sent our sons to usa, married off our daughters and still have a wee bit left for our livelihood. not all. but most of us. no?
how many of us depend on our sons monetarily? how many sons (with blessing of dil) are willing to provide support financially? how many are wholly and freely willing to host their parents in their old age?
which comes to my point here. the white folks, do not pay, as a rule, for their children's university education. the kids work part time, get grants, and borrow money to meet the gap. it is a rare white kid, who comes out of university without a debt. compare that to indian kids in india/usa and chinese kids .. where mommydaddy pay not only for their education, but also for their entertainment. in fact it is considered an entitlement in these cultures.
i dont know now, but i had relatives, who scraped the bottom of their PF to marry off their daughters, and had to ask for 5 one rupee coins, to give their grandchildren at vishu time.
most of us are past. but should we suggest to those of us in their 40s, not to burn their entire wealth on their children and forced to go with a begging bowl in their old age.
what price is success? i know, my mom, would have wished, that i had not 'succeeded' to such an extent, to leave india. how many parents, here with their children in the usa, wish the same?
a close relative with two daughters, specifically asked for grooms in the usa as he was convinced that india was bound for goonda raj and did not wish his daughters to be living there. he was confident of spending alone his old age in india with his wife. a few months ago, he applied to immigrate to usa. i figure we have an inherent need to live close to our children when we age. if not with them. atleast within our sight. no?
and that has dealt the baby boomers a big blow. But then, each one is right from his/her own perspective.
