When all of your kiddos graduate, what is your plan?

[Ann.without.an.e]

Re-enter the job market?

Continue to stay home?

Go back to college?

 

Just curious :D

 

I used to say (when I had three kids) that I would go to college after DD graduated because I'd only be 42. Now that I have a new one starting K this year I just don't know?

[marbel]

Do all the reading and sewing I've been missing all these years?   Deep clean the house?

 

I will be 61 when my younger graduates.  She may be independent a bit earlier than that. My older is a little more tricky and may not be ready to launch right away so he could still be in the picture into his early 20s.   I haven't worked for 17 years so that seems impossible, though I would like to find something to do and build up retirement funds a little more. 

 

Realistically I can see myself doing more stuff around the house, and continuing to do what I do which is manage our family life so my husband can focus more on his work, obviously on a different scale since I wouldn't be managing kids too.  Maybe I'll get up the nerve to paint a room.   I'd also like to be able to open my home more to folks from church and the neighborhood to come and hang out, talk, drink coffee, share advice, etc.  Maybe volunteer on a more regular basis.  Finally have a garden?   

[momto10blessings]

NO idea! Enjoy a clean home??

[SwallowTail]

A few years prior to dd finishing school, I will move back into research at the university (I hope).  I will take classes to refresh my knowledge base and either get a new MS or complete that PhD I was working on when she was born.  (I worry I won't have a brain left to do any of this with, but we really need this to happen). I will be in my 50's, but  I hope to be able to get back into my career as a research scientist/engineer, so I can help pay for her college and fund our retirement (late).

[Wheres Toto]

I will be 58 and Dh will be 71 by the time dd is 18.  I'm hoping we can both "retire" before then and travel.

 

[SKL]

I will be 57 when my kids graduate high school (if all goes according to plan).  Thoughts of retirement are more plentiful than thoughts of building my career.

 

Being an owner of a business that is in constant flux, I really can't predict.  I would like to gradually wind down so that the business is manageable to us old fogeys and we don't have a lot of stress and strain and we can enjoy life a little more.  I keep having this image of me sitting at a table, feeling a breeze, listening to birds, reading a nice uplifting book, and sipping tea.  Or playing an interesting, long classical piano piece all the way through.  Will it ever be?  Will I get that kind of freedom in the middle of the day while I still have functioning eyes and ears and muscles and brain cells?  Time will tell....

 

But sometimes my kids think they want to inherit the business someday.  That would mean keeping it exciting.  Which is not really an exciting idea to me right now.

[StartingOver]

When my youngest turned 15, I had another child, then another 2 years later. I am good for a while longer. ;-) I don't want to imagine, I have done this so long. LOL

[thessa516]

Count me in the group that wants to enjoy a clean home.

[fairfarmhand]

Stay here on the farm and I'd love to see how self-sufficient I can make our place.

 

Also, I want to focus on my writing. I'd like to take some art classes too.

 

I know many people dread that time, but I am sort of (in a kind of eager, occasionally burnt out, tired of being needed) looking forward to it.

 

I think it's because I started having kids at pretty much the same time I entered adulthood, so there's never really been time for me and my dreams. I look forward to finding an identity outside of being a mom.

 

I also look forward to traveling a bit more when they are grown.

 

I'll just be 46 when my youngest is gone!

[Mergath]

I'll only be around 43 when dd goes off to college (or whatever she decides).  KKinMN and I were talking about doing the training and working together as real estate agents at that point. :)  And I'd like to focus on my writing and try to publish a few novels.  

[a27mom]

I'll b 53. I imagine I will work more, I work part time now. I may go to graduate school - only because I would really like to get involved in geriatric research. or I may get more highly involved in some volunteer opportunities. Or I may have some totally different ideas, maybe I will farm with my husband.

 

It is a long way off yet :)

[Annie G]

I'm at this point.  I worked for a couple of years but dh convinced me to retire this past May.  I'm still doing math tutoring for two boys, but that's only 6 hours a week. 

 

I'm enjoying a clean house and decent meals. While homeschooling, I always told dh that I could homeschool and cook, or I could homeschool and clean, but all three weren't going to happen.   We're both pretty excited to have a clean house AND home cooked meals. 

 

Dh is thrilled to have me home- I'm working on house renovation projects so the house will be ready to sell in 4 1/2 years when he's ready to retire. I'm spending a lot of time quilting and riding my bike on the trail.  I'm traveling a little- just got back from spending a week with dh's parents who need some help from time to time.  Dd is expecting her fourth child in November and I'll go spend a couple of weeks helping her when the baby is born. I can homeschool my two granddaughters for a bit!!

 

I have battled high blood pressure for a few years and about a year ago went on a low dose of medication for it. But the darn numbers didn't change at all. Since I quit work and started a more relaxed lifestyle, my blood pressure is low enough that I'm sure they'll take me off when I go to the doc in October.  It wasn't that my job was stressful, it was just that there were too many balls to juggle. Dh is no longer doing laundry and cooking while I'm at work and he's noticeably more relaxed also. 

 

Life is good. 

[Penny_P]

Egads. I'll be mid-late 50's at this rate. I'd like to travel and volunteer. Or, maybe be a traveling nurse volunteer. I also want to play with my future grandbabies- love 'em up and send 'em home. :)

[BarbecueMom]

I'll spend the first year hibernating.

 

After that... no clue. The plan is to transition to a second career by then to help college expenses. I haven't found my passion yet.

[Jenny in Florida]

I'm there now. My son finished the last of his high school requirements a couple of weeks ago and is moving into his dorm later this month. My daughter graduated from college three years ago and moved 1,100 miles away from home earlier this summer. So, at just about age 50, I am now officially out of the full-time mommy business.

 

I've been working part-time online for the last year and am starting an additional part-time job outside the house this week. I've decided that, for the moment, it's better to juggle the two part-time jobs, both of which have fairly flexible hours, than to commit to a full-time anything. I want to be available to take a couple of days off when necessary to visit with whichever kid is home or to travel to see one or the other of them in performances and such. 

 

I've also been starting to refresh my education and job skills. I can't afford the money or time to go back to school in a formal way. However, I'm taking a few open source, online courses related to education, the field I'm trying to move into in this second act of my "career." I've also started taking free technology classes at our local library, brushing up my skills with Microsoft Office. (I'm great with Word, not so much with the rest of the suite.)

 

I'm giving myself a couple of years to figure out this transition. I figure that, by the time my son graduates, I'll probably be back to working more or less full time.

[Pawz4me]

I'm soon to be "free" -- oldest DS goes off to college next week, and youngest is in an early college high school program.  He'll get his drivers license in a few months and so could get himself to/from school, which would free me up totally.  I wouldn't mind getting a non-stressful part time job for just a few hours a week.  Not that those are exactly easy to come by nowadays, especially for someone who's been out of the working world for almost nineteen years.  It's probably more likely that I'll start painting and deep cleaning the house.  We plan to downsize within the next two or three years, so it needs to be freshened up to put on the market.

[regentrude]

I will increase my hours at work to full time coming this fall when DD leaves for college, even though DS is still home for 3 more years.

I have always worked while homeschooling. I love my job.

[JustEm]

Well if this child is my last child then I will be 46 when they graduate high school.  I guess it all depends on if dh ever opens his own martial arts school or just continues to work as head instructor at his current location.  If we are ever small business owners I'd likely start working for the school at least part time and spend the rest of my time catching up on all the me time I'm not getting now!  If he doesn't own his own business then I'd likely expand my current pet sitting business more.

[SemiSweet]

I'll be 49 when ds2 graduates, dh and I have talked about what I'll do but haven't come to any real conclusion. It depends on where I live and if my parents need care. I would like to volunteer part time with an organization that helps the homeless. I don't think I'll go back to work unless it becomes financially necessary. I'll also definitely be enjoying a clean house and having everything in its place, that's pretty much my fantasy right now. :D

[Closeacademy]

When they graduate, I may work more hours in the local bakery to help out my boss so she has an employee that she can trust while she is gone.  But we may just retire to Florida by then and I will spend my time on the beach, doing fiber arts and maybe finally write some of the stories floating around in my head. 

[ThisIsTheDay]

My youngest will graduate in two years; my oldest will then be a college senior.

 

I work part time now and will be going back to work full time--to pay for college, really. 

 

I'm glad for my kids that they are growing up and moving on. That's the way it should work.  But for me personally, it sucks.  I'm not looking forward to that time, but purely for selfish reasons.

[Luckymama]

That's only four years from now! I will be 52.

 

We are in a situation where I will not have to work for pay once she's in college. I have all kinds of ideas in my head: serious gardening (like growing all our fruit and veg), more graduate work in horticulture, tutoring maths and chemistry, volunteering in something education- or hunger-related. Dh and I are planning on lots of travel! (He can work anywhere he gets a good connection.)

 

I can read all the books :D

 

Dh and I are very much looking forward to the next stage in our marriage :)

[Jenny in Florida]

I work part time now and will be going back to work full time--to pay for college, really. 

 

I'm glad for my kids that they are growing up and moving on. That's the way it should work.  But for me personally, it sucks.  I'm not looking forward to that time, but purely for selfish reasons.

 

I'm right there with you. The diploma I ordered for my son arrived earlier this week, and I sat and started at it and cried. I'm so proud of him, so excited that he's moving on to this next phase of his life, but also really, selfishly so sad that this part of mine is over.

[DawnM]

I am actually looking at going back to work in 2 years.  Full time.  So my younger two will finish school at a B&M school.  

 

Part of the reasoning behind this is that I want them to have more options for college, but some of it is also for me.  I am really needing to get back to something other than homeschooling.

 

Dawn

[Um_2_4]

Well, I'll be 51-52, DH will be 62 (and most likely retired) when the twins graduate (although my plan is to use local CC for most of the last couple years). So I expect I might have a grandbaby to help with (hopefully :)! ) and I will continue to be a SAHM (just to grown kids). I am more than wiling to babysit/homeschool the grand babies and they all know that. I might have more quiet time, but my basic role as "family manager" won't change.

[Loowit]

I will be close to 50.  I have no plans of getting a paying job, but I do plan to do volunteer work.  That is what I did before children.  I have thought about going back to college, but at this point another degree is just too much work.  If I took classes it would just be for fun to follow my interests.

[Mandylubug]

well, I would LOVE to have more freedom and travel with DH more. It is pricey to travel with a family size of 6. However, financially right now we aren't able to really save up for retirement. DH has his 401k at work at the max allowable amount but other than that, we don't have much extra. I suppose I will be entering the work force to put back for retirement for us. Sounds horribly boring :p

 

eta: my girls will be 20 when I am 43. I will be fairly young.

[ocelotmom]

It's 18 years out for us, so we're not exactly making set plans yet, but we've discussed getting an RV or a boat and exploring the country/world while doing travel nursing. If I don't already have some sort of advanced degree by then and we can manage it, I may do that.

[MBM]

One more year to go 'til our youngest flies the nest. Dh and I are going to rent an apartment in the city, Chicago, and live it up and travel! He will retire in a few years and then we'll really start having fun. I hope.

[AHASRADA]

Well, since I'm "starting over" homeschooling PreK this year, I've got quite a ways to go.  Juggling a HS senior, freshman, and pre-Ker is enough of a challenge that I haven't thought that far ahead, lol.  I haven't even done the math to see how old I'll be...OK, 55.  Before little dd was born and homeschool retirement was looming on the horizon, I did consider the possibilities for the second stage of my adult life, and I don't think my goals have changed much since then.

 

I already tutor ESL to several children in my home, so I will likely continue and possibly expand on that.  I have always wanted to do volunteer literacy tutoring with adults, and I have considered becoming certified in the Wilson Reading System and/or other language-based learning difference tutoring.  I would also like to take college classes that interest me, maybe even collecting additional bachelors' or even a masters degree, but at my leisure, one or two classes at a time so I could really enjoy and benefit from them.  Family counseling is something that interests me as well, and our religious/ethnic community is in need of qualified therapists to serve our community, so that's another direction I might go.

 

Personal growth and development with a view to serving the community would be the short version of my long-term goals.  Of course, I'll always be my family's manager, and plan to be available for babysitting and possibly homeschooling grandkids if that opportunity presents itself :)

[Murphy101]

I have no idea. In 15 years, presuming no more children, I'll be 55.

 

I imagine much if what I will do will be based more on necessity than plans.

 

Am I widow? Is dh still able to work? Do the kids still need me in some physical manner? How is my health? What are our living circumstances?

 

Ideally, dh can still work full time and I'd like to be healthy and able to hold down a part time job that allows us to set money in savings of some sort for the first time ever while still being able to be on Calvary duty should a kid or grandkid need me to come running, and to do some traveling for the fun of it.

 

I have no idea if reality will have anything at all to do with my ideal when the time arrives.

[mom31257]

Most likely teach somewhere, but it will depend on what dh is doing because I'd love to have the same schedule as him. He teaches public high school but would enjoy teaching adults.

 

I am not certified but do have a degree in math. I would enjoy teaching 4th or 5th, though.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I'll be 49 or 50.

 

No desire whatsoever to get a job/career. Blech.

 

Read (more). Sleep (more). Travel (more).

 

Volunteer.

 

Take sailing lessons, etc. DH and I are going to buy a sailboat and sail to the Bahamas and Caribbean (maybe beyond... We'll see...) in our 50's and 60's.

 

We live near DC and I always see advertisements for talks, lectures, special music events, etc. at all the museums and such in DC- all for free- I look forward to enjoying some of those- maybe by the time my boys are teens, they might want to come with me, and grab lunch or something :)

 

There's so much to do- I simply don't have time to get a job ;)

[happypamama]

Grandchildren?

 

Seriously, I really don't know yet.  DS4 will graduate when I'm 55, and DH is 57.  DD will be 30 by then, DS1 27, so I do hope at least one of them has some children by then so that I have some grandbabies to love on.  I suppose I may well go back to work at least part-time, but maybe not so much "back to work" as "find a new career," because my pre-babies careers were nannying and real estate, and I don't particularly want to go back to real estate.  Childcare in my home, though, maybe -- I adore babies and would happily care for someone else's (and I'd make a good package too, I think; I don't use TV, wouldn't mind cloth diapers or pumped milk, would happily hold babies for hours, etc.).  Actually, I would dearly love to volunteer for holding infants in hospital nurseries if I could.

 

I'm trying to find a career I can do from home or very part-time out of the house, once my youngest is school age, so that I can continue to homeschool while still bringing in some money.

[Desert Rat]

I'll be 49ish. 

I've thought about making my small business into a bigger one, but really I want to work in a library. 

[bluemongoose]

I'll be 52 when the youngest is graduating.

 

My idea of a good time...doing all the stuff I want to do but never get to do. If I have any grandkids (I might by then as there is a 7 year difference between oldest and youngest) I want to have fun with them. I also want to make stuff. I love to cook, travel, sew, and knit. I would love to have my own online shop thing like an etsy or something and make stuff I enjoy making and then selling it for fun mainly. I would also make stuff for the grandkids too of course. I want to travel and eat yummy food.

 

I am also looking forward to having a cleaner house.

[Joules]

Two more years and I'll be 48. I'll be going back to work to fund college and retirement. I'm hoping that will take the pressure off dh and get him to a less rat-race type job. I hope to go back to my career, but with an 18 year absence I may be doing something completely different.

[Pawz4me]

I know many people dread that time, but I am sort of (in a kind of eager, occasionally burnt out, tired of being needed) looking forward to it.

 

Dh and I are very much looking forward to the next stage in our marriage :)

 

 

Dh and I are going to rent an apartment in the city, Chicago, and live it up and travel! He will retire in a few years and then we'll really start having fun. I hope.

 

Count me among those who are looking forward to it.

 

Yes, in a way it's sad that our kids are growing up, needing us less and even leaving home.  But that IS the way things are supposed to work.  When they were conceived we knew the end goal was for them to become functioning, happy and fulfilled adults.

 

And I'm selfishly looking forward to a quieter, simplified life.  Not that I'm ready to sit on the porch in a rocking chair all day.  But I'm looking forward to having the time (and hopefully money) to get back to doing what DH and I want to do.  And to be able to concentrate on one task at a time instead of juggling a hundred at a time. ;)

[Kathryn]

I'll be 52 I think. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll have to go to work at that point.

[FaithManor]

I will be 50. I am going back into teaching music and will also have my event planning business. We'll bank everyndime I make for lost retirement savings I would have had if I had not left the workforce. We do plan to do some traveling definitely.

[HRAAB]

I will be 58 and dh will be 60 so we won't be ready for retirement.  I hope to be working again in order to help rebuild our retirement which slowed down when I quit and has taken a financial pounding.  I have a grandchild - maybe will have another by the time the twins graduate - so I would like to spend time with them, visit my adult children, enjoy my house and dh without so many interruptions.  We would like to be able to travel - nothing huge - just short trips.  Dh and I are pretty quiet people; we enjoy gardening, biking, walking, going out for coffee.  I love having children - now teens - around the house, but at the same time I'm looking forward to the next season of life where dh and I can spend more time tending to each other.

[Tutor]

Dh is currently in seminary, so we are hoping to get a parish in England, Scotland, or Ireland for at least a year when the kids graduate. At least one other overseas assignment would be lovely. 

 

We are currently starting two businesses... one online and one local. We would like to sell the local business once our kids age-out and we move, but the other is online and we hope that will still be going strong by then.

 

If we are still in the US, I'd love to go to medical school... just because. Maybe open a small GP office that offers house calls only.

 

Dh and I would both love to travel.

[LucyStoner]

Join the Circus McGurkus.

[Jerico]

I will stay at home.

Rock babies in the nicu.

Help young moms at our church.

Be a grandmother

 

Or, if we homestead i will still be busy :)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I will need to reenter the job market in about 4 years, but I have no idea what I will do since I don't really think my previous field is open to me (nobody hires 50+ yo computer analysts who have an 18 year gap in work history - even if they get lots of certificates.)  Not that I really want that field anyway.  I will pretty much have to go back to school to do something unless I just work a minimum wage job somewhere.  I hear our local rock wall is hiring:).  I like the idea of massage therapy (in a clinical setting) but the costs are intimidating and I am not sure about longevity. 

[Myeightkiddies]

I'll be in my 60s.  I hope to spend a lot of time with my family, which is about the same that I do now.  I'd love to do some traveling, but shorter trips - week here and there.  If possible, I'd love some older friends to do things with such as shopping, quilting, playing card or other games, etc.  I can see myself doing a lot of volunteer work - hopefully a lot through Church.

[Stratford]

I will be 52 when my youngest graduates from high school.  I haven't left the job market as I still work part-time.  I fully anticipate that I will still be employed at that point.  I may work full-time for a few years to beef up my retirement before I get to retire and be a grandma.  

[Excelsior! Academy]

I'll be in my mid-fifties.  I have no plans to ever work again.  Of course, if I need to I will, but...we're talking ideal plans here, so....no job.  Travel, yes.  Grandchildren, probably.  Responsibilities outside of that, none whatsoever. 

[Desert Strawberry]

I will be 56 when Inspiration graduates, and hopefully will be 15 years back in the workforce. So hopefully, I will be approaching retirement.

I will have to ask D when he expects to retire. I would like to retire around the same time.

[Greta]

I plan to:

 

1. Cry uncontrollably and have a big horrible shameful depressed fit.

 

2. Pick myself up, dust myself off, and get a job.

 

It will be interesting to see how long step #1 takes.

 

I don't think I could be happy continuing to be a homemaker without my daughter here. She was the reason I became one in the first place, so it would just feel too empty and lonely, I think. I just hope that my degree will be enough to get me a decent job, because I have no work experience to recommend me. I'd like to earn enough money to be able to travel.