Two parenting styles: predict the successful one

He was a college dropout, and after trying his hand at various menial jobs, he apprenticed himself to a private internet provider of his locality. Having a business acumen honed a little, he secured the contract of a private internet service and put in long hours to enhance the subscriptions of his internet service. His earnings multiplied exponentially. Nevertheless, he didn't contribute even a dime to his family, comprising only parents, as all his siblings were busy with their married lives. His father was so far bearing the family expenses.

Our Mr Scrooge saved a huge amount of money, which he turned into assets soon. He purchased two land plots of five marlas each in an upscale residential area. But he was reluctant to spend money with his family and siblings. His financial morality was that one must save for the future of one's own family - to have a nest egg at the cost of feelings and emotions.

He got married, and the marriage was simply celebrated. As he was swamped with his business, he spent little time home. His wife often complained of his cold behaviour as he didn't give any financial leeway to his wife. She divorced him after two years of marriage, bearing no child to him.

His parents arranged his second marriage, but his financial behaviour didn't change. The wife was advised by her parents that a husband's sole purpose is to earn money. The couple had three children by then. He didn't give enough money to his wife to purchase quality clothes for the children. He believed that only when they grow up into adults must they be provided with all luxuries.

He allowed no exceptions on family hangouts. He underspent on his children's studies, delaying the school fees payment and keeping children constantly in want of school stationery. Despite having the affordability to buy a car, he didn't, and preferred public transport for family visits and shopping sprees. He was waiting for a ripe time, which was when he would launch a campaign to find matches for his marriageable children.

Coldness marked the family ties. Children waited for the father to leave the house so that they could frolic and be merry. Children and their mother usually huddled together for demands and needs. In short, it was a minus-one family. However, the patriarch's parental philosophy was that children in their early stages must not be lavished with facilities. One must save enough money for the future of one's children. Grown up, they had to be grateful to their parents when they would avail themselves of the wherewithal for a successful future.

Here is another case. He was an educated person who got a job that gave him enough resources to support a middle-class lifestyle. He spent his income on his wife and children to enjoy the bliss of marital life. He provided his family with all the necessary modern amenities like AC, WiFi, and a solar power system besides a regular electricity supply. always bought children extra stationery for school. He selected the best schools for his children, merely matching his affordability. He preferred rented conveyance to public transport for family visits. Dine-outs and home deliveries of delicacies garnished the family celebrations and children's achievements in studies.

But as he lived from paycheck to paycheck, he couldn't save much, rather nothing. He supported his parents and siblings as a moral duty. His self-satisfied lifestyle gave him an aura of a well-to-do family man. But his liabilities outdid his income. As his children grew up, his expenses now converged on his family so that sometimes he had to borrow money to fulfil his duties to his parents. Despite all that, the family stood tall against the vicissitudes of life. They always felt incomplete whenever a family member missed out on family meetups. They remained available whenever their children needed them. They listened to their post-school talks and outbursts. They attended PTMs regularly and provided all the physical and emotional support to their children. All in all, they were a happy family, though haunted by the insecure future.

I have presented before you the half lives of two types of parents. Wear the lens of a consequentialist and predict who would succeed in securing a prosperous future for their children.