[Catz1966]

NOT ALL ADULT CHILDREN ARE BAD NEWS. I am 52 years old and I moved to The Villages to help my elderly parents. Three months after I got here, my father died suddenly so I thank God I was here to spend 3 months with him and also that I am here to help my mom. I work full-time and so does my 21 year old son who lives with me and is high functioning autistic. We own our home, live a few doors away from my widowed mom and abide by all the rules of The Villages. We take good care of our house, help my mom on a daily basis and are friendly with our neighbors who all are like 2nd family on our street. Not all adult children are bad news. There are many of us that have moved here because our parents decided to leave the family up north and come down here for retirement, not thinking about who will look after them when they get older and need help. My mom refuses to move north so we have no choice but to be here with her. A lot of us have dropped everything to move down here, start a new life, take a huge cut in salary to assist our parents. That's what family is all about, caring for another one, making sacrifices as they did that for me their whole lives. Of course you have the other bunch who moved down here to live off their parents because of their bad luck, poor decisions and they are the ones which need to reform them selves. Do not worry though, when the time comes that we are no longer looking after our mom, we will certainly be going back to where we came from, picking up where we left off. Like you, I am also disgusted with the crime we read about and all the wrong doings which seem to be caused by people in my age group or my son's age group. In our spare time, which we don't have much of, we are out and about exploring Florida, leaving the The Village activities and amenities for the 55+ to enjoy.

[Rwirish]

Spot on.

[daddys55]

I think a bad person is a bad person no matter what age they are and they are trouble no matter where they live, but you can't discriminate against someone because of there age.There are a lot of good young people here as well as bad

[EdFNJ]

From what our agent told us (no, we're NOT even under 70 ) a PRIVATE RESALE can be sold to anyone only new homes are age restricted. That being said why would anyone under 40 want to live here full time? As an Investment for rental ... I understand.

[rlcooper70]

My "gut" tells me that the issue is not all that common - that the percentage is so low as to be ignored.

Yet if you have kids forced to live with you ... then I feel for you because I know you didn't ask for it.

As for twenty year olds sitting on the hoods of their souped up 409s ... that's not happening in my neighborhood. Ha ha.

[Villagesgal]

You must live in a horrible crime ridden place. There is no perfect place, seniors steal, swear, do malicious mischief and other such things too, and yes, even here in the Villages. You aren't totally safe anywhere. That said, it is a nice place to live. Before you buy walk around the neighborhood, knock on doors and ask about the neighbors, don't rely on what the real estate agent says. Do some research before you buy, are most snowbirds or year round residents, ask the sheriff's dept about arrests or calls to that neighborhood. Go in with your eyes wide open and you'll probably be happy.

[Michiganders]

. I moved here to enjoy my retirement that we worked hard for so why should I have to put up with other people's problems. I don't push my problems (baggage) on others so don't give me yours. I would be the first person to step in & help my fellow Villager, as long as people respect me. & abide by the rules & be neighborly----then I am ok. This is a 55+ community & that is what the original concept was & why would 20 something year old capable adults want to live with their parents?

[Dbdouds]

Originally Posted by Chi33

This is something that I have an opinion about and I don't know what others think.

This forum is very caring, loving, and sometimes don't see the problem with common sense things. Don't attack me as it is true. Been seeing some crime lately that points to adult children living in The Villages.

So...

Why are there adult children living with retired people in The Villages?

Now my thoughts and I am sure people will see both sides.

First, if the adult child is mentally ill to the point they cannot live on there own. Not all mentally ill people have to live at home. And, and, and, WHY would you MOVE to The Villages, the adult Disneyland, if you have to be a caretaker for the child? Not like there is good medical care in the area.

Second, the adult child who is going through some bad luck. Still, no. Get them motivated. There are no jobs here and they will keep living off your generosity and care for them. However, if you care for them, get them an apartment in Gainesville where there are more jobs so they can get back to the norm. They will only milk you for all your money and guilt you if you resist.

Third, the adult child who is the caretaker for an old villager. Well, if you are homebound, why would you want to live in the villages. If you are homebound then most likely money is tight, and this isn't the place. Also, bad healthcare here. And, what work will the adult child do while being a caretaker. Well, if they have a job then the villager doesn't need a caretaker.

Fourth. I don't know a fourth. I don't see a problem with a 30 year old BUYING a home here. That would mean they have a vested interest in The Villagers, however all the others are either using the villager, guilting the villager or there is a better place to live. It isn't here.

So, to conclude.
No jobs.
Bad healthcare.
Crime goes up.
Mostly other people are over 60 years old.

No good can come from an adult child living in The Villages.

Okay, let the hate begin. I wonder if there is anyone on my side?

Agreed. All of your reasons make perfect sense. The fourth reason is that other villagers expect to find older folks living in the Villages-that’s the reason they come here.

I don’t get it either. Rules, law, etc. aside, what is the attraction for those under 55, especially those still in their teens and early twenties? Are they avid golfers and they are satisfied with just that? Do they really enjoy getting down with the geriatric crowd at the squares at night? My grandkids are 16-22 and they love to visit but get bored here really quickly and then they want to go to parks and malls in Orlando. I think sometimes we should have bought closer to Orlando since eveyone who visits us wants to spend more time there than here.

At any rate, I understand those under 55 that work here are allowed to buy and live here and even have specific communities for them, that’s great and it benefits us. I also understand other under 55 situations like the retired military couple in their 40s that we know got an exemption (probably in that 20% allowd), but even they get a little bored and have difficulty feeling like they fit in. But youngsters in their late teens and early twenties here permanently, not working, not in school? Makes no sense to me.

[Miloscia]

So if there is bad healthcare, no jobs, and high crime why are you living here.
I hope some day you don’t find yourself needing help by someone and you have no family. People move here because they like the living style but things don’t always work out. Look at it way, you may have a great life today but no one knows what tomorrow will bring. If those people aren’t bothering you then let them be and thank God you wake up each day and enjoy your life.

[DavidPritchett24]

I have read allot of the posts concerning "Why adult children living in the Villages" As a father of 5 grown children I take pride in knowing my wife and I have raised our children to be responsible adults and contribute to society. We recently moved to TV and love it here. When we moved here we asked our 23 year old son to come with us. He is an EMT and was employed full time and planned on starting Paramedic school in the fall. We encouraged him to come stay with us and go to school here so that he could devote his time to studying and not having to work full time and worry about supporting himself while in school. Because of the higher cost of out of state tuition he is having to wait a year so he can afford the tuition. He is anxious to go to work serving the community and has applied with several of the EMT companies here. He is not a menace to society and always willing to offer a helping hand to anyone that needs it. Since being here he has offered medical assistance and comfort to several of the TV residence while they waited for the EMS to arrive. You see he does not discriminate based on a persons age. As parents we want to give our children every opportunity to be successful in life. And if that means living with us for a few years then so be it.

[joansullivan]

Well said.

[Lcbeasley418]

You seem to have a very limited view or had children that took advantage of you. My parents have lived here over 10 years. There was a 3 month period that i stayed with them to get one my feet, which i did. I then moved on. Now, I live JUST outside the villages, in a retirement community. I'm not retired. Not only do I work, but I'm also going to school. This is not my ideal place to live. I stay hear because one of two parents became ill and began a life where he needed A LOT of help. It's too much for my Mom alone, so I'm close enough to help. See, here's what you don't seem to get, people still AGE after moving here. They were once healthy seniors playing golf, etc. I guess they should have realized that before buying into the villages, and chosen somewhere that people still AGE. Nonetheless, here I am, helping. Now, there will come a day that my father will pass and my mom will still live in her house and SHE'LL need help. When that help becomes more constant, you BET that I will MOVE IN WITH HER and be right by her side, lending a hand. I won't wait til she can't function. I'll do it while we can still enjoy each other's company. I'll run errands with her, go to doctors (that have been INCREDIBLE with my father), and I'll basically be a VILLAGER.

[Lcbeasley418]

A special thank you to you and your son. It's a great plan and he should do well here.

[mysunshine1948]

I moved out! Not especially for this reason, but many others!