[PuppyTailWags]

More importantly, assuming that children are born owing their parents anything leads to deeply unhealthy societal outcomes:

- This enables abusive parenting styles and forces adult children to need to unlearn this lie in order to come to terms with their abuse;

- This enables parents having an outsized influence on adult children, such as controlling their sexuality, interests, physical location, etc;

Frankly: the parents have an obligation to care for their children because they generally chose to have children or chose to keep them once they were had. The child did not choose to be born and does not have a choice on the quality of their parentage. It's unacceptable to then place the burden on the child for choices they didn't make and have no control over.

[rayiner]

Nobody chooses to be born. Does that mean that there are no moral obligations that arise by virtue of one’s existence as a human? Can obligations only arise from voluntary choice?

“Choice” is not the be-all end-all of morality (or, really, even particularly important). The obligation for parents to care for their children and vice versa arises from the nature of people and the nature of the relationship. Parents have an obligation to care for children even when they didn’t choose to have children. Conversely, children have an obligation to care for parents even though they didn’t choose to be born.

[sneak]

> Parents have an obligation to care for children even when they didn’t choose to have children.

People who didn't choose to have children are not called parents.

> Conversely, children have an obligation to care for parents even though they didn’t choose to be born.

You've offered nothing to support this supposed (but not really) symmetry. This seems like back-rationalization of some cultural norm or tradition (especially when coupled with your anti-individualism swipes in the other comment).

Perhaps your beliefs are not as preordained as you may believe.

[random314]

Thank you for sharing your opinions and belief systems with us, no matter how peculiar.

[JamesBarney]

This isn't and one off believe system. It's strongly prevalent in most non western countries and was prevalent in western countries for a long time before now. We're the outlier not him.

[50]

"Parents who expect gratitude from their children (there are even some who insist on it) are like usurers," says Kafka in his 1914-1923 diaries.

[euroclydon]

Bad parenting is like water flowing, it doesn't need any particular justification in order to be enabled and find a way to manifest itself