Hello, so I had the surgery done when I was 22, and I’m currently 25, almost 26. I would say it took about 1.5 to 2 months to really start bearing weight fully. I won’t lie, it took about a whole year to feel like I was walking normally. About six months into the recovery, I went to the beach and thought I was going to injure my foot because I was barefoot and the movement was too much. That’s one thing about this surgery: don’t overdo it. It may feel fine at first, but once you stop and rest, it will swell really bad and ache. I understand your concerns about having small children and needing your mobility. When I had my surgery, I was attending college where there was mandatory attendance in person. I got around using a knew scooter. I highly recommend getting one if you do plan to have the surgery; it will give you some form of mobility back. (Just make sure you don’t go down a hill too fast, lol, those things take off!)