I’m worried about Dad
What is the connection between your children and your retirement? No I am not going to talk about your childrens’ inheritance. Instead I want to discuss those glorious early years/decades of your retirement. Those years in which you will have re-invented yourself after a near lifetime of work.
What will your children make of it all? Well that depends on what you tell them, or don’t tell them. I’ve heard children of retired people use the phrase “I’m worried about Dad”. This is because they fear that “Dad” is having a bad retirement.
To stop your children worrying that you are experiencing a bad retirement you could:
1. Tell the kids you are OK
2. Show the kids you are OK
3. Pretend that you are having a great retirement, when in fact you aren’t
Personally I don’t like the first alternative, I really like the second alternative, but I fear that the third alternative is all too common.
The third alternative is common because, unfortunately, in our contemporary society we don’t have commonly-accepted IDEAS about what a good retirement looks like. So what can happen?
Actions have consequences. Your children – who are now adults – will see through your ruse in alternative 3. That is when “I’m worried about Dad” can emerge.
How can you embrace the second alternative? To discuss your potential strategy, please email me on jon@64plus.com.au
Retirement: You won’t know what it is like until you get there.