‘My parents have basically become...’: Ankur Warikoo shares an emotional lesson after Japan trip with his ageing parents

As parents grow older, the relationship between them and their children can slowly change in unexpected ways. The people who once guided every step of your life may eventually need your support in everyday moments. Ankur Warikoo recently reflected on this shift after making a yearly tradition of travelling with his parents. His latest vacation took the three of them to Japan, where the entrepreneur said he experienced a deeply emotional realisation about ageing, family and the circle of life.

Ankur Warikoo' yearly ritual with parents

Taking to social media, Ankur Warikoo shared that he started a new ritual last year: going on a vacation with his parents once every year. The trips are intentionally simple, with just the three of them travelling together. After describing their first vacation as incredible, Warikoo said they continued the tradition this year with a trip to Japan. His parents are 74 and 72 years old, and travelling with them has made him notice how their relationship has evolved as they have grown older.

‘My parents have basically become my kids’

Warikoo described several small moments from the trip that made him recognise this change. He said he now holds his parents’ hands while they walk and reminds them to be careful while going down stairs. He also finds himself scolding them for using their phones on loudspeaker and making sure they do not keep consuming or watching junk content.


The entrepreneur also said he has started teaching his parents how to use their phones for their benefit. At the same time, he reminds them not to automatically trust or be overly friendly with everyone who is nice to them. These everyday moments led Warikoo to a striking realisation: his parents have “basically become my kids”.

A ‘weird circle of life’

Warikoo described the experience as a “weird circle of life”, because the roles that parents and children occupy can gradually reverse. He reflected on how his parents once raised him and taught him everything he knows. Now, he finds himself guiding them and reminding them to follow some of the very lessons they once taught him. The change, he suggested, is not simply about taking responsibility for ageing parents. It is also about recognising how much the relationship has transformed over the years.

‘It is a wonderful blessing’

Despite the emotional complexity of the change, Warikoo called it a “wonderful blessing”. For him, one of the most meaningful parts of travelling with his parents is being able to experience new places alongside them. He described the feeling of holding his mother’s hand while walking through the streets of a new city and watching her look around “in wonder” and with pride.

His Japan trip therefore became more than an annual vacation. For Warikoo, it offered a reminder of how the child-parent relationship can evolve, with children eventually finding themselves guiding the people who once guided them.

Netizens react

Warikoo’s post resonated with several social media users, who reflected on their own experiences of watching parents grow older. One user described the moment when children begin reminding their parents to eat on time or be careful while crossing the road as “such a strange moment”. They noted that while these situations can initially make you laugh, they can suddenly become emotional.

Another user said it must feel “surreal” when parents, after guiding their children for so many years, begin looking to them for guidance. A third person called it a “weird but best circle of life” and said it was a wonderful feeling. They also wished more people would think similarly, pointing out that many spend their lives chasing their dreams while giving their families very little time.