The previous generation was born with five or seven children, because they believed that raising children when young was somewhat difficult, and when they grew old they would be compensated in return. Having no one child to worry about, at least another child would care for them, and if it turned out that way, they were considered fortunate. However, there are also people with heavy karma who, the more children they have, the more their children destroy their wealth and make their parents suffer in old age. There are people who have never had a family, never had children, but spent their entire lives doing merit, and in old age still lived in happiness and died peacefully.
East Asian society greatly respects familial bonds and affection. For this reason, young people must prepare their minds so that in five or ten years they will need to care for their parents and grandparents even more. Prepare yourself from when you are young, and do not fear hardship. If there is no such preparation, when parents grow old and you see that caring for your parents is difficult and you try to avoid it, you incur karmic debt. The important duty of each of us is filial piety toward our parents and caring for them in their old age. When we ourselves grow old, we will also be cared for and nourished by filial children.
(Excerpt from the book: "Buddhism and Society")
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