I fully agree with you on the question of language. I have just started a new retirement career in a field that’s totally different from what I did for over 30 years in the public service. My first challenge is social networking and I have decided to take a course in Spanish to cultivate my immediate neighbors.

Cheers!
Ozichi

Because I’m not childless.

But my “kids” are now in their twenties. Although I raised them as a self-employed single mom, I did not direct my energy toward building my business until after the baby left for boarding school. Until that point, I was always faulting myself for not getting enough done. Once I was alone, I realized it was amazing that I had gotten anything done besides raising two kids!

In my case, it worked well because I really loved being a full time hands-on mom, and in those years, I was gaining the experience which became the platform for later growth. It’s not just that I could not have done it all at once; it was simply not doable all at once.

We all have different abilities and needs, and circumstances. Parents can clearly hand off a lot more than I was willing to do and still be very engaged parents. But it is a decision that is best planned for. If it’s too late for that, then sit down now, before your kids are grown, and come up with a model that works for you and your family. The obsessive productiveness that builds a business is best left at the office when there are children waiting at home, but it’s just not a switch that flips off so easily.