It is argued that parent care has become a normative but stressful experience for individuals and families and that its nature, scope, and consequences are not yet fully understood. Some of the complex factors that interact to determine filial behavior are explored. A hypothesis is advanced that may explain in part the persistence of the myth that adult children nowadays do not take care of their elderly parents as was the case in the good old days. Some of the ways in which social policy responds to knowledge about filial behavior are noted.
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