Save for retirement includes

@WorDazza Well neither obesity nor dementia is a genuine 'epidemic' so we're not likely to catch either condition. As far as we know at the moment, lifestyle factors play a big part in development of both, so we need to take some responsibility for our own long-term health. Even once dementia has developed, there have been studies showing that environmental factors can improve a patient's condition. I am sorry about your Mum; I hope she gets the best care and also that you get a chance to do your best for her.

Luckily with the increase in obesity, life expectancy is now decreasing again. Also the incidence of dementia has not been as great as expected, though no-one is sure why.

@Fleura Yeah, really lucky Maybe I just see more dementia cases than most as my mum has dementia and has recently had to go into specialist residential care. I really hope there isn't a massive dementia epidemic as we are screwed if there is!!

From a child's perspective, the parent is a grown up and knows how things are, while child is still not conceived. Parents know that there is unemployment, and food is expensive as is housing and medical care not to mention retirement planning. Still parents indulge themselves by enjoying luxuries such as have many cars, buy new cell phones every time there are new features, buy clothes as per fashion rather than as per needs, spend lavishly at parties and religious rituals, have large homes and spend on decoration and get bored of it after sometime, there are simply too many things that are not more necessary than our well being now and in future, but we have indulged in those in the name of social standards. So the child simply inherits those standards, gets accustomed to those, and it becomes difficult for him or her to retrace into another group with lower standards. Parents should not have more children than they can afford, and even after having children stop being extravagant. So parents do err and the fault lies more on their plate because child as a minor cannot be told, I will give you cakes and good clothes and toys so that you look after me in old age. That becomes a contract. Contract with a minor is not acceptable by law. While schooling, and regular food and medicine are parent's responsibilities through law and morals, the other bargain is with a minor! That is the most important reason that parents face abuse for. It is their feelings, need to indulge their feelings my child should look better than the rest, my child should have an enviable birthday party, etc., that lead to their failure to provide for themselves. I do understand the child's perspective and cannot deny merits in them while empathizing with parents.

@Fleura ...Understanding is mandatory at the time of contract, and at the time having those birthday parties and holidays it was parents who were adults, so the contract was valid only in their minds since the children were minors. Do you borrow when you don't NEED the monies? Child can want and ask, but parents decide. When the child did not NEED that, parents should not have spent on that.

@vandana7 I understand you point, but nevertheless the children become adults who 'know how things are' and should understand that now their turn has come.

I don't think they are any more practical than us. lol. Only their laws make them practical. lol. When they pay taxes at the rates they do, they get something out of it. In India, with the kind of spread out of our incomes as we have, there are not enough tax payers, and as the population increases, this number would go down still further. I don't always blame the child. I was watching inmates of a house in Amritsar I think. Older son left ..unmarried, earning barely 6000 per month. Younger son was earning 5000 he too left parents. How could they feed parents, when they have not enough for themselves? Where did parents go wrong? Rather where did our government go wrong? It did not tell them hey this is the criteria for having the second child! Does it have to be explained? If not, take away 50 percent of all incomes, and arrange for old age. Another woman who was running a business had five children. They beat her up, and took over her business. She had thought in old age, at least one of the five would take care of her. Today together they do not spare her 2500 while earning more than 250000 per annum from what she established. Another son, pays around 4000 per month but does not meet his mother. He is afraid he would want to take her home, and then wife would say no. Stories galore...makes me think I am lucky I have no child.

@silvermist Yeah...legally, its so wrong!!!

@vandana7 Good point.Some years back we had an old servant woman. We never treated like a servant.She was from a middle class family.She had 3 houses in her name and some savings from her late husband.But she was foolish enough to transfer all the houses in her sons' name Lent the money too.So one day she was on the streets.Nobody were prepared to have their mother with them.For some time she stayed as a helper with us.But after she received her salary and went to live with her married,daughter in Chennai for whom she had not given anything.(No dowry even though the son-in-law was poor). Such is life.

Yeah..time we looked at those seriously. :)

Some types of health are within our hands. At least that much we can try.

@LadyDuck Yes, that is sad about children with cancer. But others can offer at least as much consideration by looking after their health. That does not mean they have to spare monies for others. It means they are not going to be liability on any medical structure that the government manages to provide for those who need it.

@vandana7 How I would like that this would be true. What do you think of kids who come to life with cancer? What could they do to prevent the event? Health is a gift, we only can prevent to spoil our health, but there is very little we can do to prevent such things like a heart attack.

@Firdausjurida That is where it is going wrong all the way. Parents are not thinking enough!!! Let me try to explain. A father has 9 sons. He has 100 acres. Each child gets 10 acres to grow food and the father and mother have 10 acres. At the of their lives when they die, each child has more than 11 acres and can live well. Next generation, each child has only 11 acres and some small lot. If each child has 9 children, then only 1.11 acre per child!!! That would not be enough for food. How will children look after parents when they do not have enough for growing food that they need? Fastest way to poverty! Poverty leads to fights, envy, anger, jealousies, and crimes. Same happens in job scenario. So parents need to see that they have only that many children as they can truly afford, notwithstanding what politicians are saying, religious leaders are saying, and all those rich people are saying. Rich want people to remain poor so that they can get cheap labor.

@vandana7 but I am as a child of my parents I think it was may obligation to help my parents in their old age. cause they have struggled to save us till became adult

That is so true. Time to think of it as retirement from duties of a parent as well.