Miserable individual with retired children (6)

I believe the answer is:

wretch

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'miserable individual' is the definition.
'wretch' can be an answer for 'individual' (wretch is a kind of individual). I'm not certain of the 'miserable' bit.

'with retired children' is the wordplay.
'with' becomes 'w' (abbreviation).
'retired' becomes 'ret' (e.g. following the name of a retired army officer).
'children' becomes 'ch' (genealogical abbreviation).
'w'+'ret'+'ch'='WRETCH'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for wretch that I've seen before include "Poor miserable creature" , "Unhappy person" , "Miserable fellow" , "Person in pitiful circumstances" , "Swine" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.