Filial Responsibility
Filial responsibility is the obligation of an adult child to assume parent care and to meet the needs of his or her aged parent; it emphasizes duty and is usually connected with protection, care or financial support. The word care denotes attention to or responsibility for the safety and well-being of others, which is interpreted very broadly. For instance, what gives parents the greatest anxiety is their children's health. Thus filial responsibility requires that one pay attention to one's own health and relieve parents of this anxiety. Furthermore, Confucius said, "While his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad to a distance. If he goes abroad, he must have a fixed place to which he goes." Thus, to be responsible to the parent, a son should refrain from distant travels. More importantly, adult children assume the responsibility of caring for their dependent parents, which places a heavy burden on them and their family, but they fulfill this duty whether they like it or not. In East Asia, the majority of elderly parents still live with their married son or daughter, thus "aging in place" with help from their children. This is seen as an expression of filial responsibility by adult children. Filial Piety: The Traditional Ideal of Parent Care in East Asia
by Kyu-taik Sung
Filial responsibility is the obligation of an adult child to assume parent care and to meet the needs of his or her aged parent; it emphasizes duty and is usually connected with protection, care or financial support. The word care denotes attention to or responsibility for the safety and well-being of others, which is interpreted very broadly. For instance, what gives parents the greatest anxiety is their children's health. Thus filial responsibility requires that one pay attention to one's own health and relieve parents of this anxiety. Furthermore, Confucius said, "While his parents are alive, the son may not go abroad to a distance. If he goes abroad, he must have a fixed place to which he goes." Thus, to be responsible to the parent, a son should refrain from distant travels. More importantly, adult children assume the responsibility of caring for their dependent parents, which places a heavy burden on them and their family, but they fulfill this duty whether they like it or not. In East Asia, the majority of elderly parents still live with their married son or daughter, thus "aging in place" with help from their children. This is seen as an expression of filial responsibility by adult children. Filial Piety: The Traditional Ideal of Parent Care in East Asia
by Kyu-taik Sung
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