My son is 11 years old, almost 12. Statistically we spend 80%+ of the time we ever will with our children by the time they are 18 years old. By that standard we are half way done already. And yet I feel like so many parts of our relationship are under-developed. There's so much to do, to learn and so much growth that must still happen.
Lest overwhelm take over I've found that a slight reframe has helped. That is, framing this time as chronological vs. passive vs. active. As with bread baking, the bulk of chronological time is passive activity. That is, mostly waiting for the heat, yeast and flour to do it's thing. Same thing with investing; Research, followed by a few decisions that lead to action (active time) will then yield to passive time in which the investment will manifest. The overwhelming majority of chronological time is spent passively.
So with kids. While perhaps much of the active time spent with kids happens under the age of 18, the goal is to ensure the passive time is optimal. Let's make great bread.