What do children owe their parents?

Parents owe everything to their children, but what do children owe to their parents? In some cultures, adult children live with their parents into their 30s, or until they get married. That arrangement is set up with the expectation that the adult children will care for their parents in their old age. In other cultures, parents expect their kids to move out and be independent sometime between the ages of 18 and 22, and in turn, they won’t come knocking on their kids’ door when they’re old and in need of care. 

The latter arrangement sounds cold and uncaring to many people, and I understand why! Your parents are the reason that you are alive, and you have some inherent obligation to care for them when they need you most. I don’t think you should put your parents first at the expense of you or your family, but if you’re in a position to help them, what’s the harm?