It is very evident that in Filipino families, everyone is very close to each other. It is already part of the culture wherein family and relatives depend on each other. As a Filipino, it is very common to hear from your parents things like, “Anak pagtapos mo mag-aral ikaw na bahala sa amin ha.”, “Dapat mag anak ka para may mag-aalaga sayo pagtanda mo.” This is very common in Filipino households. It is not bad to ask help from your children or relatives. But the issue is, it is not good to solely depend on them. As a parent, you should not view your children as an investment. You decided to bring up a child, and with that the responsibility to raise them is with you. You cannot tell your children that it is their responsibility to take care of you when you grow old and retire just because you brought them up. Providing for your child is your responsibility as it was your decision to bear a child. 

    As a child, there is nothing wrong with giving back to your parents or family. When the time comes that you are already earning for yourself, it is not bad to reward your parents after they have raised you. But you also need to tell them that you are just merely helping and that they should not depend on you solely. And when you decide to also start your own family, you should also bear in mind that your children are not investments. It was your decision to have a child thus the responsibility to provide for them is yours. And to avoid being solely dependent on your children, make a choice now. Start planning your retirement.