All living things, even those which are one-celled, have parents. It is the parents who gave the responsibility of ensuring that the world continues to have the members of their species. Nature has decreed that each species should multiply and that this process should be carried out by parents. Therefore, literally, all creatures are a part of their parents. After the young are born, the parents of some living things care for them until they can take care of themselves, while other parents? responsibilities end as soon as the young ones are brought into the world. The parents of humans belong to the first category.



In fact of all the creatures of nature, it is the human animal that has the longest stage of infancy and helplessness. It takes us a full year to be able to walk. In comparison, other animals take from between a few minutes after their birth to a few months. Also, it is human parents who look after their young the longest.

Most other animals become independent soon after they are born, whereas in the case of humans, we take many years. Our period of dependency on our parents varies. In some societies, humans become independent upon reaching puberty. In others, they remain dependent until they marry in yet other, they remain dependent even after they marry and start their own families. What seems evident is that of all the parents the human parents are the least anxious to allow their young to live their own lives.

What to we humans depend on our parents for? Well, almost everything! Science has established that humans come into the world with just one skill: that of sucking their mothers? breasts for milk. All other skills are later on learnt. By observing and imitating our parents, usually our mother, we learn the basic skills of talking, walking and even eating. Besides skills, the human animal also learns how to express its emotions through observing its parents. But the question to ask is for how long and for what purposes should we depend on our parents?

It is intriguing that in certain societies, parents and children live together until death separates them. Parents continue to play important parts in their children's lives. Of course this also means that children never free to live their own lives and tend to depend on their parents all through their lives. From taking a closer look at other cultures and societies, we get the impression that perhaps at one time in the past all humans lived this way.

In many parts of the world today, parents actively try to get their children to live independently as soon as they grow up. It remains to be seen if this is the best option. As it often turns out, it is not possible to see the result of an action immediately after it has been done. The result might take centuries to manifest.

The man who likes there to be prosperity in his livelihood and increase in his age should maintain a good relationship with his parents.