When Parents Become Strangers in Their Own Children’s Lives

Time may age their hands, but it should never fade our love.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26, 2025: There’s an old story about a couple who carried their frail, bedridden father into the forest — not to seek peace for him, but to leave him behind.

They placed him gently in a basket, their hearts heavy with guilt. As they turned to leave, their young son asked if he could bring the basket home. When they asked why, he replied softly, “So that I can use it to carry you here when you grow old.”

Shaken by the child’s innocent words, the couple quickly brought their father back home.

That story may sound like something from a distant past, yet its message still echoes in our world today. We may no longer leave our parents in the forest, but many are being left behind in quieter, more modern ways — in old folks’ homes, far from the warmth of family and the laughter they once lived for.

We tell ourselves it’s for their comfort — that professionals can care for them better, that they’ll have company among their peers.

We tell ourselves it’s for their comfort — that professionals can care for them better, that they’ll have company among their peers. But deep down, we know what they truly long for: not comfort or luxury, but closeness. The sound of familiar voices, the laughter of grandchildren, the warmth of being needed and remembered.

Many of these parents have spent a lifetime working, providing, and sacrificing so that their children could live better lives.

Now, in their twilight years, all they ask for is to spend their remaining days surrounded by the love they once gave so freely. Yet modern life often moves too fast — chasing success, comfort, and convenience — leaving little room for tenderness or time.

Sending them away may ease our schedules, but it silently erodes something sacred: the bond that once made us who we are. True care is not measured by how comfortable their beds are, but by how often they feel our presence beside them.

Perhaps it’s time we remember that love is not about ease; it’s about effort. Visiting often, listening with patience, holding their hands — these are simple acts that carry the weight of gratitude. Because one day, the roles will change, and we, too, will wait for footsteps that may or may not come home.

Before time takes them from our sight, let love bring us back to their side.