Parachute Parents

A riff on the term parachute children.

Parents who come to the U.S., have children and raise them here, and then bail, returning to their country of origin when it is time to retire, leaving their children (and their children's families) here. I know of at least two Taiwanese parents like this; one set has already moved back to Taiwan, another set is planning to, once it is time (children have finished college, settled, and so on). This sort of thinking does seem less than virtuous - making use of another country's resources and benefits so that one's children can have a better life, while never completely identifying with that country. How many of them held dual citizenship? (I believe Taiwan permits that.)

Probably the children do not want to live in Taiwan, as they grew up here, so what are the parents thinking in putting such a great distance between them and their children (and grandchildren)? It is convenient and cheap to get a plane ticket. For now, sure. In the next 20 years? Doubtful.

It would probably be incorrect to attribute to crass materialism the source of their ultimate motivations; after all, cultural comfort does play a role in their decision to return to Taiwan. But the decision to come and reside in the U.S. is less than praiseworthy, and given their cultural loyalties, would it not be right to be suspicious of whether they have the good of the "group" in mind, while they are living here.