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Golden Years
One morning when we were having our breakfast, just me and hubby (my older son went to work while the youngest was on his provincial hospital duty) hubby brought up this thought, he said this could be what we will gonna be when the time comes the children have their own family and leave the house, just the two of us. But I don’t think so as long as we are in the Philippines. 
Filipinos are well-known to be a close-knit family. It is normal to see grown-up children over 20′s to still living with their parents, unlike in other countries, when the son or daughter reached 18, they are expected to leave the house and live independently.
Here the parents support the children until they finished their study and earn a degree. In return the children are expected to help with the family finances or lend a hand in supporting the schooling of the younger siblings. Even if the children got married and started to raise their own family, they usually lived close by or visited the parents regularly. Grandparents are very well taken care of and were not sent to nursing homes. They will live in their homes with their children and grandchildren in their twilight years until the time they will depart from this world.
If nursing homes or home for the aged is for people from rich countries who have money and can afford to send their old family members in this lonely place, here only those that are abandoned, neglected, left alone by their relatives that need shelter and food were taken to these places to make sure they will still have a normal life even if separated from their families.
This is also one of the reasons why some Filipinos who had stayed abroad and worked there during their productive years choose to come home, retire and spend their golden years here. There is nothing like being with your own family. Life is much easier when you have your loved ones beside you.
hi josie! hello everyone!
me and my husband still live with my in-laws. it so nice to help each other out. and my kids feel very much loved because not only mommy and daddy was there for them but also lolo and lola…
I agree Lhen, and with feeling loved, they will give the love back.
this is the best place to retire with our loved ones. of course children need to be independent but they are always there for their parents, willing to take good care of them even how sick they are.
yes Rossel and we are lucky that even if we are not a rich nation, we are rich in love and respect
How true, Josie. This is where our old are taken cared of by their own family and not placed in a home for the aged.
And we very fortunate at that, love our parents and the children will do the same to us
Kaya I am proud of being one.
same here Anne
Thats one of the best trait of being a Filipino.. its in the culture, its in the blood.
yes Chris and we are lucky as I saw to the situations of some elderly in first world countries.
In India also, all of us mostly follow the same tradition. Most of the Indians live in a joint family where the eldest male or female is regarded as the head of the family. Actually, this creates a greater bonding between siblings and other family members and also helps in reducing the expenses incurred. Of course, the younger generation wants to live independently and the trend is changing rapidly. I hope this culture is preserved and when we grow up, we will be able to enjoy our golden years with our grandchildren.
that’s nice Prasanna, and yes I agree with you that the trend is changing too and hopefully will not affect the tradition, in our case I think it will very far if ever it happens.