[katezbox]

Originally Posted by Pturner

I agree. His profile of alleged villagers had all the hallmarks of "typecasting" which no doubt they were. Real individuals, I don't think so.

He suggested that people who live in retirement communities were abandoning their families. He seemed to think that grandparents owe free baby-sitting service to their offsprings' brew. Yet, he expressed no similar outrage about people his own age moving-- along with said grandchildren-- to different cities from their parents.

He also expressed a more generalized outraged that retired people whose own kids had left the nest didn't want to dwell among other people's kids. That outrage struck me as immature, bratty and a wee bit hilarious, as I suspect he'll grow out of it.

His key message seemed to be: Imagine the nerve of retired people thinking they deserved a peaceful and rewarding life after working hard for so many years and raising a family. Selfish, he called us. Ironically I saw him as he saw us: selfish and entitled. Who knows. Maybe we all are.

On another note, the book was entertaining and an easy read and hopefully made him some money.

PT - you summarized this perfectly. If, I may, one addition...


He never mentions that grandparents can still visit their grandchildren... or that TV has gone to a great deal of expense to provide many pools geared toward family visits. We were invited to Sun City (AZ) when my two were young - and they could only use 1 or 2 of the pools and for only an hour or 2 each day - yep - you guessed at high noon when any responsible parent would want to keep children away from the sun and glare in the desert.