Let me tell you one thing: You’re doing alright.

Having your kids feel safe enough to be open like that and yourself sticking to listening and being there is probably the best anyone can hope for.

The main economically meaningful aspects of “retirement age” in Denmark AFAIK is that:

• You get entitled to receiving the public, state-paid pension.
• Private pension schemes that vest at this point or later are tax deductible. (you still pay taxes when it’s paid out, but due to the progressive tax code you end up paying less)

By far the most relevant of the two is the latter, as practically everyone is covered by pension schemes included in employment contracts.

As such you can still retire any time you want, but it will be more burdensome for you to it earlier than at the age sanctioned by law.

This.

I just wish we could collectively realize the whole enterprise is epistemologically bankrupt.

It is okay to stop trying to apply reason once you have encountered the first unreconcilable contradiction.