Am I in the wrong for being frustrated with my "retired" dad's work schedule, and him picking up more work?
My dad was forced to retire from his company at 65 (by law), which he didn't want to do. His hours were never regular though, like a 9-5, so he had interesting flexibility my whole life. After a few months of retirement, he found an independent contractor role, which wasn't too bad, where he was able to set boundaries. Now, they're demanding more and more work from him. He's also taken on some side-work from someone he met at this job.
In addition, he's likely about to take a true 8-5, 40 hour a week job instead of the independent role he's been in. He claims it's not that rigid... but from what I see, it's damn close. He'll be a full-time employee, on limited PTO and sick days. He's never done this in his life.
He's missing more and more family things. We didn't celebrate Thanksgiving weekend together so he could work. My mom's not in the best shape, and I'm worried he's going to miss something at home like a fall while he's in the office all the time, or not be able to take time off.
I should add a caveat - I had a bad injury and surgery so I've been struggling to find work, and my parents have been helping me financially. I don't know if that's contributing to this, but he claims it's not really the reason that he's doing it, he just wants to "stay active."
I worry he's giving up on the last years of his life to go sit in an office and work, and I'll miss out on important time with him.
What do you all think?
Posted Dec 3, 2025, 1:24 AM UTC