SINGAPORE: A woman recently shared on social media that despite her parents owning a fully paid S$3.5 million home and enjoying a generous pension, they still expect her to provide them with an allowance.
In an anonymous post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, she explained that her parents are retired civil servants benefiting from the old bountiful pension scheme.
They also frequently call her to inquire about the best-fixed deposit rates for their savings while she and her husband, working as bank executives, struggle to make ends meet.
They have two kids and live in a small, cramped condo. Despite their combined annual income of around S$300,000, they cannot afford a landed property.
“Can’t understand why my folks complain I don’t give them an allowance when they have plenty of cash to spare while I am running on the hamster wheel every day just to afford my kid’s tuition, maybe occasional holidays and I bring them along sometimes,” the woman wrote.
“Thoughts? Anyone else in a similar situation, how much do you give your folks?”
“I don’t think it’s right to say they are ‘richer’ so you should not give.”
In the comments section, some netizens felt that her parents were not “wrong” for expecting an allowance from her, given that she was a banker earning a substantial income each year.
One netizen said, “Cannot understand why people who earn 300k, stay in a condo and yet DO NOT WANT to give allowance to parents. What they have is they earned it. what you have, they groomed you.”
Another commented, “If you are a banker that is struggling with a combined income of 300k+ and still on a hamster wheel and cannot even do a basic filial piety action. You are the problem.”
A third netizen stated, “Giving allowance is a sign of filial piety. And should be done. I don’t think it’s right to say they are ‘richer’ so you should not give.”
A few also suggested that if “they’re still struggling to live” despite having a substantial income, they could consider downsizing to a larger, older HDB flat.
This move would alleviate the burden of their current mortgage payments and allow them to invest their savings more effectively.
Still, a handful of netizens could relate to the woman’s situation. They argued that it’s not right for parents who are financially comfortable to expect allowance from their children.
One netizen commented, “These kinds of old folks are very irritating. So rich, no need to work, comfortable and yet squeeze their adult children just to show off to their relatives to prove their children are filial. Selfish.”
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