'Im'- Moral Expectations of an Indian Parent
India is a country I am happy to have been born in for a number of reasons, including its deep-rooted culture and beliefs, emotional attachment to everything, our cuisines, our way of thinking about certain things, our long-standing, scientifically validated customs, etc. However, with time, it also becomes a place where the expectations of everyone there, especially the parents, are unreal, unethical, and frequently unkind. Years ago, there was news of a couple suing their son and daughter-in-law for not having a child. The reasons given for the lawsuit were illogical and therefore unacceptable to me, but this was just one instance of many that occur . The customary Indian parenting practise is to have children for 1. We desire to play with them 2. We want to ensure that he would support us financially and take care of us as we age, among other things. 3. The requirement to reproduce in order to pass on our genes, etc. Even though reasons 1 and 2 sound nonsensical, they ac...