B2 – Upper Intermediate
Watching your parents age can be a scary prospect, especially as they approach the point when they need more help from you more than ever.
If your parents have money troubles, they may come to you for financial help. It can be difficult to help your parents financially while you are also struggling with student loans, credit card debts, or providing for your own family.
Read this article about turning of tables when children are the ones supporting their parents.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201203-should-kids-financially-support-their-parents
Discussion Questions:
- Do/Would you help your parents financially? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, should children be financially responsible for their parents when they’re old?
- How can you help your parents manage their finances?
- At what age should you stop asking your parents for money?
- Should parents support their child financially until they’re grown?
8 replies on “Should Kids Financially Support Their Parents?”
1. Do/Would you help your parents financially? Why or why not?
Of course. They’ve paid for my care and education during so many years. Besides, in addition to the financial issue, they have always been really good parents and have invested so much time on me and my well being.
There is no way I could live in peace knowing that my parents were going through a difficult situation and I was not helping them.
2. In your opinion, should children be financially responsible for their parents when they’re old?
I do agree that children should take care of the parents financially when they are old, as long as this does not entail the payment of large debts that the parents may have. But since not everybody has had the same experience with their parents, I think this wouldn’t have to be mandatory but the person’s choice.
3. How can you help your parents manage their finances?
For example, If they don’t know how to use the bank web or app you could teach them. In the web or app you normally can access graphs and distributions of how much you are spending and in which things and also compare it to previous months. Also, you can set up alarms or limits to notify you when you are spending more than your shoud.
4. At what age should you stop asking your parents for money?
I think it would be good to stop asking for money at 18 or before. But in my case I stopped asking for money when I was 23 and started as a trainee in a company and earned my own money.
5. Should parents support their child financially until they’re grown?
I think to a certain extent yes. Parents should be, as far as possible, the financial base or financial stability of their children until they become adults. In any case, whether they can do it or not, I believe that parents should encourage their children to work from an early age. If the children are studying, they could take part-time jobs, or occasional jobs such as teaching and babysitting. I think this is very good because it makes children mature earlier, value money more since they have been earning it themselves and also is good to improve time management. In addition, with the money earned they can contribute with the household expenses or at least stop asking for money.
Good going with your writing practice!
Take a look at how these sentences can be revised:
Cheers to further improvements in your skills.
Do/Would you help your parents financially? Why or why not?
I totally agree on the idea of helping my parents financially, either directly by giving them a regular amount of money each month, or indirectly by paying taxes which support retirees pensions.
In your opinion, should children be financially responsible for their parents when they’re old?
Much more than that, from my standpoint, when I was born I incurred in an emotional and financial debt that must be repaid whenever my parents need, which is something that I’m happily doing.
How can you help your parents manage their finances?
From time to time I usually review their bills and I tend to suggest them some offers that they could take advantage of, so they can save some money having exactly the same services with different providers, like water, electricity and mobile.
At what age should you stop asking your parents for money?
I guess my case is different since I’ve started to earn money at the age of 12 in my parents’ local business. During that time, they continued to give me money but it was different because I knew that I earned it by my own merits.
Should parents support their child financially until they’re grown?
Like I’ve stated above, I began to earn my own money quite soon and I think that it could be a good example to be taken because doing it that way teaches children how much effort it takes to earn your own money. I’m not saying that children should work too soon, but they should do before reaching legal age.
You clearly always put a lot of thoughts into your answers.
Keep up the good work!
1. Do/Would you help your parents financially? Why or why not?
Considering the situation is not as a result of wasting resources, of course I would, in a family any member is responsible of the welbeing of the rest, as in a team, the goal is to prosper together.
2. In your opinion, should children be financially responsible for their parents when they’re old
In my view, they should not. Countries should develop welfare mechanisms responsible of that for all the people who have complied with the state obligations.
3. How can you help your parents manage their finances?
In these days, technology knowlege is mandatory when dealing with bank issues, so this is a key point where youngsters can help the elder ones
4. At what age should you stop asking your parents for money?
I do not think there is an age where you should stop asking for money, it depends a lot in the situation of parents and children. In general, I think until you start working frequently enough
5. Should parents support their child financially until they’re grown?
I think so, at least until they have some financial independency, as long as children show the motivation of being independent eventually
Welcome to the Phoneenglish blog! We appreciate you joining in on the discussion. Well-written responses, for sure!
Be a bit mindful about your punctuations and spelling. Here is one sentence you can still revise:
Here’s to more entries from you in the future!
New Vocabulary:
– Fly the coop
– It caught me off guard
– Knock on Wood
Feel free to write your answers to the discussion questions too. We’ll catch you again soon.