Re: Dowry for your kids
I disagree. Just because I can afford something doesn’t mean that I am obligated to provide something for my child. I am only obligated to provide them with a good upbringing and the means to take care of and provide for themselves.
Personally I think that by giving to our children, we create a sense of entitlement and they don’t appreciate hard work and accomplishing for themselves. I know of girls who I call “princesses” who hadn’t any clue how to cope in the real world because mummy and daddy spoiled them. The first time real life and real life disappointments came calling (and no parent can protect them from that), they fell apart.
I think the old addage of: if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day and if you teach a man to fish he eats for life applies here.
The whole gift versus dowry issue - I think it’s actually unfair and disrespectful to a parent to say that no gifts = disrespecting their child. Why should a parent’s love be measured by the gifts they give their child, as opposed to the love and values they’ve instilled?