Social Discourse: Children's Responsibility towards Parents

Essay Prompt: Social Discourse: Children's Responsibility towards Parents

Social Discourse: Children's Responsibility towards Parents
 

I. Structuring Social Discourse: Children's Responsibility towards Parents (Standard)

 

1. Introduction

- Introduce a few proverbs and sayings before delving into the issue for discussion.
 

2. Body

a. Definition:

- It is the awareness of individuals about the things, actions they need to do and are expected by others, which in this article is the responsibility towards parents, including love, care, and gratitude.

b. Why do we need to have responsibility towards parents?

- Parents are the ones who gave us life, with mothers sacrificing their youth and beauty, enduring hardships to nurture us into individuals. Fathers sacrifice their entire lives, working hard to provide us with a materially fulfilled life. Despite the hardships, parents never complain.
- It's not just about giving birth and raising us, but parents shape our lives, forgiving us repeatedly. Even if the world abandons you, parents never will.
- Parents are the sole sacrificers for us, their only wish is for us to have a good life (illustrated by the character Lão Hạc).
- Parents play the most crucial role in educating us, instilling awareness of the world and guiding us into life.

c. Children's Responsibility:

- While parents are still healthy, we have the responsibility to keep them happy, ensuring they are not troubled. Always cultivate moral virtues, study diligently to reassure and share the burden with our parents.
- When parents are old and weak, it is our responsibility to take care of their lives, regularly inquire about their health, and, if they are unwell, provide attentive care, taking them for medical check-ups without hesitation.
- As parents age and their minds become less lucid, we must be even more affectionate. We should not make them feel like a burden, and we must wholeheartedly love and care for them.
- When parents unfortunately pass away, it is the duty of the children to responsibly handle the funeral arrangements, expressing profound grief and sorrow. Annual rituals and celebrations must be diligently observed.

d. Criticize some of the shortcomings in today's society:

- Callously abandoning parents, neglecting care, and treating them coldly.
- Some even cruelly abuse and beat elderly parents.
- Engaging in personal pleasures without considering the elderly parents eagerly awaiting each day.
=> Regret comes too late when parents are already gone.

3. Conclusion

- Express personal thoughts.
 

II. Sample Essay Social Discourse: Children's Responsibility towards Parents (Standard)

'Traveling the world, no one is better than a mother; life's hardships are lighter than a father's burden.' These are proverbs and sayings passed down through generations, reminding us of our duty to remember. Someone once said, 'Life is never easy. When you feel it's easy, someone is carrying the burdensome part for you.' For young adults like us, life may seem bright, and the desire to become grown-ups is strong. However, we can't fathom the weight and worries our parents bear, including concerns about our education, marriage, and even taking care of grandchildren. Since becoming parents, they've never had a day to live solely for themselves. Reflecting on their sacrifices, I ponder a compelling question: 'Children's responsibility towards parents.'

Without being parents, we cannot fully comprehend the hardships our parents have endured for many years. Through this article, I aim to help you understand the sacrifices made by our parents, enabling you to recognize how you should treat and be responsible for your parents today and in the future. So, what is responsibility? It is an individual's awareness of the things they need to do and are expected by others, in this case, responsibility towards parents, including love, care, and gratitude. Why do we need to have responsibility towards parents? Let me present the following reasons.

Parents, the ones who gave us life, endured countless pains during pregnancy and childbirth. Personally, I believe the greatest people in the world are mothers. To give birth, they endure suffering, morning sickness, the kicks and jabs in the belly, and the excruciating pain of labor. Pregnancy means mothers have to give up their youth, their slender figures admired by many, even by fathers. They transform from gentle, neat women into breastfeeding mothers, with disheveled hair, dark circles under their eyes, and constant sleep deprivation to ensure the baby sleeps soundly. Every moment of childbirth is memorable, and each child should know precisely how much pain their mother endured. Whether through natural birth or caesarean section, the pain is unforgettable. The epidural needle piercing the spine causes tears, and the surgical scar brings discomfort. Even years later, whenever the wind turns, mothers still feel the pain. Yet, mothers never complain about how painful it was; they only share the joy of holding their baby.

Parents not only give birth to us, raise us into individuals, but they also provide us with a good life and unconditionally accept us. Even if the world abandons you, parents never will. As the poet Chế Lan Viên wrote, 'Even when grown, you're still your mother's child/Through life, your mother's heart remains with you.' For parents, even when their child turns 80, they still see them as a child needing care and protection.

In this life, no one sacrifices for us, loves us more than our parents. They always want to provide us with the best care and living conditions. I've read many articles about parents enduring hunger and frugality, scrimping and saving every penny to send money for our education, hoping we'll succeed. At that time, they never thought about how we would repay them; it was simply the boundless love of parents that led them to sacrifice everything for us. This is vividly portrayed in a literary work that enthusiasts of Vietnamese literature would recognize, the character Lão Hạc, an emblematic figure of pre-revolutionary peasant life. His life, full of hardships, epitomizes the struggles of the farming class. For the love of his child, he worked tirelessly to save money for them. Unfortunately, falling ill and depleting his funds, he sent the remaining money to his son, choosing to end his own life to avoid burdening his child. This illustrates the depth of a parent's heart, willing to sacrifice even their own life for their child.

Parents not only give birth to us, nurture and sacrifice for us, but they also play the most significant role in educating us into responsible individuals. From carrying us in their arms as infants to guiding our first steps, parents teach us to read, write, and instill essential values like greetings, manners, and everyday tasks. They teach us everything from holding a spoon to societal conduct, from childhood through adulthood. It can be said that the family is the fundamental and essential educational environment shaping an individual's character and qualities. Parents are the most dedicated and heartfelt teachers in our lives.

With these reasons alone, we understand that we must bear an enormous responsibility towards our parents, to repay their immense sacrifices and love throughout our lives. Each of us must prioritize 'Filial Piety' as our guiding principle, considering it the compass for life. If we can't treat our parents well, don't even think about achieving success in society. When parents are healthy, it's our responsibility to make them happy, ensuring they're not troubled by our petty issues. We should cultivate ethics, study diligently to reassure our parents, and responsibly help them shoulder life's burdens. In youth, we can engage in small jobs according to our abilities. When parents are elderly, we're responsible for their well-being, regularly checking their health, and caring for them tenderly, even in adverse weather. When parents become frail and forgetful, we must be even more attentive, ensuring they never feel like a burden, pouring out love and care. If, unfortunately, parents pass away, it's the duty of children to handle funeral arrangements and post-funeral matters meticulously. The responsibility of a child doesn't cease when parents are alive but extends indefinitely after they're gone, demonstrating filial piety and deep gratitude towards those who gave us life. In conclusion, parents to their children, the duty of children towards parents is to be deeply conscious and responsibly repay their sacrifices with care and kindness.

The responsibility of children, though significant, can never compare to the immense gratitude owed to parents. Yet, some individuals display ingratitude and irresponsibility towards their own parents. Raised with utmost care, these individuals, like ungrateful birds, fly away, leaving their parents in sorrow, forgetting their parents' sacrifices. They neglect their parents, leaving them to live in loneliness and sadness. Some heartless ones even subject their parents to hunger and physical abuse, or, worse, commit acts of violence. Such individuals no longer deserve to be called human beings. It's pitiful for those who become parents; a lifetime of sacrifice, only to have their child turn into an ungrateful and disobedient person. Then there are those who, in their youth, fail to realize the burdens their parents carry. They immerse themselves in pleasures and pursue lofty ideals, unaware that their parents have been chasing after them for so many years, their legs now trembling, their eyes dimming, until they fade away from the sight of their children. Only when their parents are gone do these people awaken, suddenly realizing the pain and regret for not caring for their parents when they could have. It's a sorrowful realization, too late.