The thing with the children is that they have been there the whole way. They were 5 months and 5 years when I started my first business, and so they were there through the start-up phase, the re-start phase (lol) and experienced the results firsthand. Its all my daughter has ever known (the youngest) and my son learned to respect the boundaries and limits and results over the years. They didnt really "get it" until we went from that start-up phase into true financial stability... but they like that part of it, and the liberty I give them with my mastercard enough to let me work anytime I want LOL
Anyone new who walks into the picture only sees the here and now. They dont realize what I've invested, why I'm passionate about it, where I'm going with it, or that I get these strange urges to pull all-nighters or work a weekend straight through when I'm blazing with an idea. They just see "hey, she's not needy and appears to just be home and available all the time" (strange combo) and it gets TOTALLY taken for granted.
That, or they have a website of their own and date me until they get the search engine rankings they wanted, and then drop me like a hot potato haha (yes, its happened)
I think it takes RESULTS that the other person experiences firsthand - like the change in lifestyle for my children - for them to truly "get it". That's what makes the start-up phase so hard for most people, because the lack of support and confidence from those closest can be a real drain...