“Will you remember me, Dad?” asked my third-grade son Drake from the backseat of the car.
I had no idea what he was thinking…but I was heartbroken as I looked at him through the rear-view mirror. In that moment, he seemed a million miles away.
I thought to myself, “What on earth would cause him to ask if I would remember him?”
I quickly turned to him, grabbing the back of the passenger seat to try an inch myself closer, and said, “Oh Drakey, you’re my son, I will always remember you. How could I ever forget you? I will always be there for you and want you to remember that, okay?”
In that moment, I felt a deep despair. I was a failed parent and honestly didn’t know what to do.
As my mind began to wander about the situation, Drake called out, “Knock, knock?”
Initially, I was caught off guard but was quick to reply, “Whose there?” hoping his joke would change the mood.
That’s when he started to laugh and remarked, “Hey Dad, I thought you were always going to remember me?”
I laughed out loud, recognizing that I had just been duped by an 8-year-old. “That was a good one buddy, you definitely got me… good job!” was my sincere reply.
It’s a funny situation in this context but that’s not always the case when it comes to retirement. You see, many people can’t answer the same knock, knock question when it comes to their life after work. They simply don’t know “Who’s there?” once they lose their work title, role, career, friendships and schedule.