Chapter 11 explains two philosophers’ views on an adult child’s duty to parents. Lin Yutang, a Chinese philosopher says that children owe a never-ending debt of gratitude to their children, while Jane English, an American philosopher, says that the parent-child relationship should be based on friendship: a parent’s need and the child’s willingness or ability to help.
1. Which parent-child relationship does your family follow? Give an example of what they say or do.
2. Do you subscribe to the same philosophy as your family? Are you or will you be different with your own children?
3. What conflicts naturally exist within each philosophy?