Creative Writing Assignment Paper on Duties to Parents (Essay Sample)

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Duties to Parents
The question as to whether adults have special duties towards their parents raises a lot of controversies because there are people who feel like the duties of adults to their parents are no different to those of friends. This question is very debatable as different people have different opinions on the same. In my opinion, adults have special duties to their parents which are stronger than that of friends. First, a parent goes through numerous obstacles while bringing up a child. Parents work hard so that they can give their children better lives than the ones they received from their parents. They strive to ensure that children are educated to the level that they can fend for themselves. It is the joy of parents to see their children succeed in life and take responsibilities over their welfare. However, it comes a time when these parents are old, retired and can no longer take care of themselves as they used to. Therefore, it is the responsibility of children to show appreciation, support, and love to their parents. When parents were young, they sacrificed their lives to bring up healthy, cherished and educated children. So, there is no excuse that a child should have that parents are not important anymore because they are old and on the last days of their lives. Parents in their old age cannot earn anymore as a majority of them are retired, and their assets are the children they raised with love. This clearly indicates that adults should reciprocate this love in return. Furthermore, religious books such as the Bible and Quran stipulate that children should respect their parents. Similarly, being responsible for parents is a source of inspiration to our old parents, and one should not be cold-hearted and treat their parents as they were nothing. Parents are imperative in one’s life and should be given special attention and care in the purest show of love and consideration.
On the contrary, critics argue duties to parents should be any different to those of friends. Some people even claim that duties to parents should be weaker than that of friends. Proponents to this premise argue that responsibilities towards friends are more fulfilling because friends are peers and it is a way to maintain healthy relations. In friendship, we always have a choice, either to lend a helping hand to friends or not. It is more humane in comparison with parents when people don't have a choice. If people do something for friends, they do it because they know that they can do it, they think of the reasons and consequences, what is rarely done when it comes to duties to parents. This obligation may kill the desire to do it for good. Another reason is that duties to friends are more important is because their gratitude will be more evident. It is not a secret for anybody that parents can often forget to say thank you when their children rush to provide help. They may just take it for granted. Some parents see as if their children are obligated to take of them. This should not be the case because, one, should help without expecting anything in return. Helping and expecting something in return is what ruins societies. A good example is that of corruption; some people give bribes so that they are granted favors. Similarly, duties to friends are therefore much stronger because friends understand each other a...