I just had an interesting experience that I thought I'd share with the group:
My husband is about to start a new job. For him it's a "dream job", one where he will be teaching art and will have a studio space, and more time to do his own artwork. (We're both artists BTW) He's taking a cut in pay to do this, but since we're CF, live very frugally, and have always saved our money, we can afford it.
Anyway, he's leaving his full-time job in the business world for the new job, and recently announced his plans to his employers and co-workers. Most of the people he works with are men in their 40s and 50s and all have kids (my DH is in his late 40s). Interestingly, his employers and co-workers all had the identical reaction to his news: they told him they were envious that he was able to do something he really wanted to do.
My husband and I were kind of surprised by this response. Over the years, many of my husband's co-workers have told him that having kids is "the best thing they've ever done." So I guess we assumed that having kids, for most people, is their main source of fulfillment. We were under the impression that parents had less of a need to be involved in creative work, because they derived a certain satisfaction from being able to provide for their children - in a way, kids are their "art projects." But apparently, people want more, and are envious of someone who has the option of making a major life change in middle age.
