It is hard to believe how those eighteen years or so of your life have already passed. Through the countless ups and downs, you managed to take the role of a moral compass for your children.
As fast as you felt the time passed, all these years and back-bending you did will not go in vain as there is more ahead to your children’s life. All your practical teachings will come in handy in encounters they have to manage independently now.
After they left for college or did some soul-searching away from home, you might feel a void that needs an instant fill. It won’t be the same from now on, having no children to attend to as you juggle your other daily responsibilities. Many parents can relate to this sort of phantom pain and would agree that, unless they find a diversion to pour the same care and energy they did for their kids, their sanity will take a hit for it.
When you’re suddenly one day left in a house without your children you rub shoulders with every day, the absence can ironically be overwhelming. Your role as a parent and other labels you try to live up to do not end, though. And so, here are some of our advice so you can learn to navigate this new life.
Higher Education
Whether you are employed or not, it should have crossed your mind at one point how you still have untapped potential and that there can still be more to your life now if you expand your horizons. Days go by, and you feel like you’re losing precious time, knowing it’s ripe for you to venture to other things. However, you couldn’t act on this urge back then due to your preoccupation with your demanding family life.
Now that you have more time freedom, you should be able to discern things you want to pursue, like a master’s degree or martial art. Think of those things you felt you missed out on to prioritize your kids, like learning new technology and updates to the code of your current profession, and so you can finally actively work on your promotion. The sky and your self-doubt, if any, are your only limits.
Your Child’s Beacon
Out of pride, many children would overtly refuse any help, especially financial, from their parents once they’ve moved out. Still, you have to make it known to them that you are just a call away if they meet trouble.
Without them asking, ever so compassionately impart your tips on how you would make ends meet back when you were a bachelor. This goes for matters other than financial, too, like keeping safe in their place, preventing pickpockets and other exploitative acts, and, of course, their health. Present circumstances do not compare to those from the past, but they could still take a thing or two from your experience.
Estate Planning
There is no better time to prepare your estate than now. You will never know when your time here on Earth will end; better sort out your last will. Take the time you have to thoroughly think about who best deserves to take what in your accumulated assets aside from your spouse and your children once you’re gone. This will save your loved ones the headache of processing the paperwork later on.
Also, manage the assets that are yet to be yours due to unpaid fees. Was there a mortgage plan you temporarily postponed? Keep tabs on home refinance rates and whom you are indebted to. Create a comprehensive repayment plan so that your finances do not go haywire.
Staying Physically Fit
During those years of hands-on parenting, you might have neglected your health. Did you feel any pain and which you chose to set aside due to your business? Now is the best time to get back on your doctor’s appointment schedule.
Now is also the best time to recover your exercise routine. Aside from waking up on a consistent hour, make sure you engage in at least 15 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity and get a healthy dose of sunlight before doing your other pending tasks. You can better make use of your available time if you are energized and are not sick anywhere.
Final Thoughts
You may miss your children, but remember that before you were a parent and a wife, you were so many things, too. Perhaps, you were an active church member or an officer in your alumni association. Life can only get more exciting when your children are all grown up.
