In an interview, Sharon Cuneta shares her piece about this kind of notion.
Many couldn’t stress it enough that children are not retirement plans and Megastar Sharon Cuneta shares what she thinks of this perception.
Is it okay to normalize having children as a potential gold mine? This is an argument that has been harboring a lot of opinions but with many things to consider, the arguing seems endless. In the Philippines where family matters most, some people question how children are responsible for their parents later on in life.
In our culture, “utang na loob” is highly valued but for many, it is pure love. To some, children are seen as the parents’ retirement plan for when they are old, and recently, in an interview, Megastar Sharon Cuneta spoke about this.
According to her, this kind of perception is something that’s been giving her a bad feeling. She quipped, “I feel bad about that.”
In her point of view, she doesn’t expect anything from her children as she works hard for them. She works hard to give them a comfortable life and later on, to not be a burden to them as she wanted them to live their life.
However, she also sees that it’s also right for children to take care of their parents as she herself did. In her experience, she didn’t have to take care of them day by day, she had her ways of giving back.
“But when there’s a big bill, like a medical bill, a hospital bill, ‘Oh my god. These are my parents. Without their guidance and their love and the way I’m raised, I don’t think I would come as far as I have.’ I think kailangan din sa atin yung filial piety. It’s just in our culture. Kahit ano sabihin mo, may utang na loob ka sa magulang mo,” she said.
Filial piety is a concept where respect, obedience, and care are given to parents.
She recalled that when her daughter KC Concepcion graduated, she gave her the savings they were able to accumulate through the years as she started to have endorsements when she was young.
The Megastar learned how to handle money from her father and she is passing her learnings to her children about the value of investing money.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!