There will be many contributions on retirement so let me added my tuppence worth.
I trained with NCT as a childbirth educator and breastfeeding counsellor when I was a young mum in the early seventies.  When I was nearly 40 I helped to found the Israel Childbirth Education Centre modelled on NCT - we just celebrated our 25th birthday.

I have four children, nine grandchildren, my husband is retired, we both write poetry and I love to travel.  So should I retire?

Apart from the fact that I love teaching and counselling, am passionate about prenatal education and breastfeeding and postnatal support, love working with people, have good organizational skills, what do I have to offer young parents who very often are the children of my contemporaries?

Experience!  And more experience!  I can look at situations more objectively, I am a long way past my own birthing and bf experiences.
I have more time to study, attend workshops, research, write and more freedom to travel to conferences.

Yes I do get burnout a couple of times a year - so take a break, go to a conference and recharge my batteries.  I take on less work than I did - I prioritize bf counselling for parents who have been in my prenatal groups and if i get too many calls from other women, I refer them to other counsellors - but again if I sense a woman is in real distress I will also give her priority.

I am fortunate enough to work from my home so do not have to pay rent or other overheads.  So I work as much as I want and as long as I have it to give I will continue. 
How do other "ageing" counsellors feel?

Wendy Blumfield
Israel

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