The Next Challenge: What To Do Now All Your Children Are in School

*This is a collaborative post.

It gets to a point when we feel that we almost put out to pasture as a parent. And it happens as we approach new barriers in life, for example, when our children go to school. And when all your children are in full-time education, you might very well breathe a sigh of relief, but also, it might be time to use this opportunity to take on the next challenge in life. If you are not working, or you’ve got certain goals that you’d like to achieve, now is the opportunity. So what sort of goals can you put in place? 

Starting a Business

You might have thought about starting your own business before, but, with children, everything goes by the wayside. Now is the ideal opportunity to start a business and follow your passions. Perhaps you have found one of the many restaurants for sale and thought that it’s time for a new challenge. Of course, the other approach to starting a business would be to start something from home. Many parents feel that they’ve accumulated a variety of skills while looking after children, and this could be to do with crafts, knitting, and so forth. But think about the practicalities of starting a business as well. It is a fantastic thing to do, but you have got to make sure you approach it the right way. Do your research, obtain as much knowledge as possible, and then you will be in the best position. 

Redecorating the House

Now you have the breathing space, the financial space, and the time to be able to fix the house. Now the children are in school, you don’t have to spend as much money on childcare, and so the excess finances can be channeled into remodeling your home. It can be a wonderful thing to do at this point because it is a massive project. Your children are in school, and if you are at home, not working, you’ve got from 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon to do a lot. Think about getting the right builders on board of course but also consider what you can do yourself. This is the ideal opportunity to learn how to do DIY. As we begin our journey into renovating a property, it’s not just about making our home more valuable, but it can help to recreate that homely environment, which means that when your children come home from school, everything feels that little bit more comfortable. 

Focusing on Getting Out of Debt

If you spent a lot of your money keeping your children in childcare while you worked, you might have thought there was no point in actually working because you were only earning just enough to break even. Now is the perfect chance to get out of debt and the prime opportunity to get an action plan in place. If your children take packed lunches into school, you can have a very tight regimen relating to your outgoings. And you can now devote more money to paying off debts but also making sure that you don’t fall prey to the luxury lifestyle that comes with all the children out of the house. Yes, you owe it to yourself to have some downtime and a few coffees with friends, but don’t go overboard! Getting out of debt is great for you when it comes to remortgaging the home, and it’s going to ensure that everybody has a better life by going on holiday, especially if you haven’t over the last few years but also in these difficult times, you may feel a little bit more protected, and that you can look after your children better. 

Go Back to School

As your family grows into new phases of their own lives, you now have to think about what you can do to get a bit more meaning out of life in general. Your children, no matter their age, will be out of the house for so long every day, so now you don’t want to fall into the trap of feeling like a spare part. Now is the ideal opportunity for you to train and have an ideal career that will give you meaning when the children are in school or out of the house. 

It is something everybody has to consider and rather than feeling like you are a spare part, take this opportunity to rise to the next challenge. Many parents feel like they revolve around their kids, but use these suggestions to refocus on yourself.