[x42bn6]

This festive season, I was just wondering about all the parents who spend Christmas alone without their grown-up children. And then it got me thinking - are parents appreciated as much as they deserve in society?

In Asian culture, we are taught to be filial and are instilled family values. The eldest child has a duty to help his parents through retirement and old age, for example.

I have also heard that Western Culture does not instill as much as this, and wondered or not if it is true. Independence and ignorance are two things, I believe - yet it might well be true that Western children are less likely to appreciate their parents as Asian children.

We've all heard stories of parents being "dumped" at old peoples' homes, or parents dying without their children knowing, or unwanted parents after marriage, and in-laws. What do you think of these? Personally, I find it disgusting that any child would be willing to leave his parents unattended to for anything, but I an neutral regarding old peoples' homes - if they can care better for my parents, then they should be there, but my parents will have to be fine with it.

That said, I hope that this festive season, if some of you are not close to your parents, Christmas is a nice excuse to call them.*