When I was a teenager hanging out with the woman I would eventually grow up and marry, her dad was quite possibly the only adult that I, and many of my peers, actually trusted. Everyone knew that he wouldn't bat an eyelash if you needed any sort of help — a ride, a flat tire fixed, a place to crash — and he wouldn't ask a bunch of stupid questions and he wouldn't snitch to your parents. Several people I know got kicked out of their own homes, and he took them in without hesitation. And now that he's sick all of those people have come back and dumped money into his fundraiser and showered all of the family with love and support.
I believe he did this because he's just an actually good person who sees children as people instead of property. but also it's very funny to imagine this as a #LifeHack strategy. bc like, so many parents see a kid as little more than an investment in their retirement — you take care of it because it's going to take care of you later, it owes you, and you can discard it if it isn't serving you. which is like, a real need that people have when there isn't a robust public safety net, so it makes some sense to "invest" in kids. but also raising an entire child is really expensive. which brings us to this one little loophole where you let a mostly-grown kid stay with you for a couple months or whatever, you win their eternal gratitude. by the time you hit senior status you got an army of prime working-age adults who hate their own parents and will take care of you instead. pennies on the dollar
