Cuban psychologist Gise Ponce, creator of the profile @guapaspordentro_psicologia, published an Instagram reel in which she responds to the criticism she received after firmly stating in a previous video that the financial obligation that Cuban children feel towards their parents is not a natural duty, but rather a direct consequence of the system that governs them.
"It is not the responsibility of children to secure their parents' old age, and for me, this is something so obvious that I am surprised by the number of comments I have received that do not understand the point," Ponce begins in the video that sparked a debate among his followers.
The psychologist clearly distinguishes between filial love and the structural dependency imposed by decades of an economic model that stripped Cuban families of any capacity for accumulation. "The system in Cuba is a perverse system that has taken everything from the people," she asserts, adding that this reality has become normalized to the point where many Cubans accept it as something inevitable or even virtuous.
For Ponce, the underlying issue is that the Cuban regime deliberately fostered this dependency. "Part of the indoctrination is that people do not understand that this is not normal," he notes, contrasting the situation on the Island with that of other countries: "In any other place, parents have a retirement plan, they have ensured a legacy during their lives, bought a house, and the children only have to provide love and companionship."
This new video is a continuation of a debate ignited by Ponce at the end of August, when he published a first reel about the "role reversal" in emigrant Cuban families. At that time, he stated that "many children do not leave feeling completely free, but instead emigrate with an entire family on their shoulders," an image that resonated with thousands of followers.
Ponce summarizes the distinction he considers fundamental: "The responsibility of an adult is to guarantee their life, and the children will give back out of love to the best of their abilities." Helping out of affection, he concludes, is one thing; having that help become the sole guarantee of the parents' survival is something entirely different, and the blame for that confusion lies with the system, not the families.
In Cuba, the minimum retirement pension has been set at 4,000 Cuban pesos per month starting in September 2025, equivalent to less than 10 dollars at the informal exchange rate, but covering the basic needs of a person amid inflation amounts to thousands of pesos. Many children in exile feel the need to support their parents within the island.
The reality of thousands of Cuban households reflects just how much family survival has ended up depending on those living outside the Island. Remittances, top-ups, food, medicine, and other assistance sent from abroad serve as an essential lifeline for many families facing salaries and pensions that do not meet basic needs.
This dependency not only shifts part of the country's economic burden onto emigrants but also turns family solidarity into an obligation that is difficult to evade for those who know that, without their help, parents, grandparents, and other loved ones would be even more exposed to precariousness.
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