First of all, a big thank you to readers who used my Trust referral code in my previous post. It amassed to a decent amount (a few cans of milk powder) and the notification on the phone whenever a referral comes in does put a smile on my face. =)
My infant is turning 6 months old and for the past half a year, the Mrs and I have basically hunkered down in our house to spend the majority of our time with him.
Almost to the point of reclusiveness. Besides family, I think I can count on one hand the number of friends I have met up with over this period. The COVID wave some months ago and not wanting to disrupt my infant’s schedule did put a dampener on potential visits to our place.
In terms of social interaction, it also probably does not help that the both of us do not really have colleagues since we are not working in a corporate setting. Moreover, as self-employed tutors largely working from home, we tend to be the busiest at work when others are free (weekday evenings and weekends).
But well, that’s a trade-off that we have sort of decided on long ago. The flip side is that being able to spend lots of time with our infant is a major major positive at this stage of our lives.
Our model is probably not optimal for many other households. I would not be surprised if most people would feel very deprived or even depressed at what I had just illustrated. Not being able to meet up with friends is definitely not ideal for us, but I would say the downside is still somewhat manageable. There’s always this blog for me too!
In fact, this episode has been a useful data point to gauge my predisposition to a rather reclusive lifestyle, that I believe would be complementary to FIRE.
I have read a few comprehensive articles and commentary on FIRE that were published by the very mainstream CNA. It gives the impression that FIRE is trending and that more millennials and Zoomers are working towards it.
Unsurprisingly, most of the focus on FIRE is on the positive aspects. Being financially independent, not having to work excessively on a 9 to 6 job (or even 6 to 9 job), the freedom to structure your day. But people forget that if most of your friends and family are still out there working a typical job, there is a certain reclusiveness that you have to contend with. Which might not be that agreeable or even acceptable to many.
Otherwise, considerable effort might need to be put in to connect with other folks on similar paths. Perhaps that explains why many notable financial bloggers after achieving FI, rarely RE permanently.
Personally, I doubt I would ever RE permanently even if finances permit. Now that I have a child, it also confirms my suspicion that I would not want my child to be exposed to the FIRE concept, especially prematurely.
As for meet-ups with friends, with the upcoming lull in work and the infant becoming much older, stronger and independent, it’s time to take a more active role to make up for this six-month hibernation.
And maybe, more sharing on this blog. =p
Thanks for reading!
Yeap, kids will suck away all your social life unless you parked them with the in laws, or helper. For 5 years now, my wife and I have never been out together at night in order to set a routine for the kids sleeping hours. We did try to go for a concert but left halfway as my eldest was inconsolable when he was deposited at the grandparents. Sometimes I wonder if we should get a helper so that we will have more free time but decided that there will be time for all this when they grow up. They most probably wouldnt want to see us all the time by then.
Will you all be sending the child to infant care? That is a game changer in terms of clawing back some free time.
Hi Happy Reit Investor,
Hope you are enjoying your Tues as much as your Mon these days!
Wow, 5 years! That’s a long time without much of an “evening date”.
We have a helper as infant care does not make sense in our line of work. We need someone to take care of the infant on weekday evenings and weekends. We get tos spend time with the kid on weekday mornings and afternoons.
If not for the social aspect, I might have second thoughts about sending him to a play group when he reaches 18 months!