Reply to Mother has decided to “retire” at 58

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ugh, this is my mother too. She was a quasi-successful professional when I was a kid. Corporate law and then in house. Far from a superstar, but had a job that paid well and specific bankable expertise.

When I got to HSish age, she started her own practice — I still don’t know if she got forced out or just didn’t like the grind/had plenty of money from child support (I think the latter). She did OK and had plenty of child support and savings and owned our home, so not negative cash flow at least.

When I was just post-college, she decided to switch careers entirely and go back to school. One possible career path of new degree was related to law (how she justified it), while another wasn’t at all (what I think her real plan was). She spent a fair amount to go back for this new multi year degree, graduated with honors from a pretty good school... but was ultimately a 60 year old in school/competition for jobs with 20 and 30 somethings. She applied for some dream jobs afterwards but didn’t actually apply for the kind of job she had an actual chance of getting. Just never bothered. So essentially retired... but even worse than OP, retire after spend $100K on a totally unnecessary degree.

Anyway, I doubt OP is a troll and I think she’s right to be concerned.

Now she complains about money all the time and is burning through her savings. DH and I do pretty well, but are Feds with multiple kids, expensive child care and a large mortgage .. no way we can cover her bizarro decisions. At least she finally reached social security age. It was all so badly thought out though... and, on top of everything else, I think she’s now bored and bitter. Not that she offers childcare help to us. [/quote]

You're the one who sounds bitter. She had every right to follow her dream, spend her own money and kudos to her for doing it. [/quote]

How so? She has left herself in an incredibly vulnerable position money-wise, which she is aware of and complains all the time about. She can't take the kinds of vacations she wants to and doesn't have money to spend on her relatively expensive hobbies. I think she made some very bad life choices and, while I wish I was in a position to give her money, I'm not. I think OP is right to be concerned and if I had been a little older when she'd started down her path, I would have known/been more inclined to weigh in. I didn't and wasn't and a regret it.[/quote]

I don't know what you could have said to her.  She's the one that chose that path.  At the time she must have considered it worth doing.   Not being able to travel extensively or afford expensive hobbies is hardly the end of the world.[/quote]

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