For older parents, what was life like after your youngest graduated?
My youngest is 15, and I’m trying to envision the next stage of life. Here’s my long backstory:
I started out as a sahm with my oldest, running the business and accounting side of my ex-husband’s landscape business from home. Due to abuse, I left when my child was two and returned to teaching at the classical school I had helped found before he was born. I then remarried, had a second child, and continued teaching. When new leadership at the school decided to switch from k-12 to k-8, i left, as i taught high school, and the high school followed me to my living room as a new homeschool co-op. I was also homeschooling my now 8 year old and had a babysitter for my 3 year old during my high school classes. My husband is an engineer who has always worked very long hours, and I had been a single mom when he met me, so all housework, cooking, etc fell to me as well.
I eventually switched to more part-time work as our church secretary and 5-10 hours a week of tutoring while continuing to homeschool both children. After my oldest graduated, I was asked to return to the classical school to teach a couple of classes, and as my youngest was 12 and my husband then worked from home, I agreed. It was incredibly draining under that headmaster, so I left and last year just homeschooled one child while tutoring 12-15 hours per week.
We live at least 6 hours away from any family, and I’ve tried to only ask friends for help with the kids in emergencies, like when I had surgery, so it’s been me with the kids all of the time. I double majored in biochemistry and humanities, and I’ve always taught a wide variety of subjects, so I’ve taught all of my children’s subjects except advanced foreign language and music. I’ve therefore continued to spend a good bit of time each day in teaching as we’re discussing the Iliad or working through geometry. Additionally, my husband enjoys me being at home as I prep his lunches for work, care for the dogs, handle appointments, clean, cook, grocery shop, etc. My daughter has celiac, so we rarely eat out.
My oldest has now graduated from college, and my youngest has completed placement tests to dual enroll at the local university. I don’t envision returning to the classroom as I’ve always taught in a classical school but don’t wish to return to the one in my city. We’ve also become so accustomed to me being at home for a large portion of the day, able to attend to everything here.
Therefore, I struggle to imagine what the next stage will entail and whether I should embark on a new career. The past week, as family visits and mission trips were done, I had time to sit and read Mansfield Park, and it was delightful but unsettling as I have usually struggled to make time for my own reading life and felt guilty for doing so. Advice?