[flower7330@gmail.com]

My wife and I have considering moving to TV. We have visited all the squares and we rented a house on the south side for a month a few weeks ago. We love all the activity and energy from TV.
The one sticky point is the grand kids. They are in PA and my wife is having a huge problem trying to justify the move and missing the grand kids.
We have proposed doing a reverse snow bird where we would spend 3 or 4 months in PA in the summer time while the kids are off from school. The parents were not thrilled with us moving away and have not been very supportive.
Would love to hear some opinions on this subject.
Thank you

[Bogie Shooter]

Question for Parents and Grandparents Living in TV

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I would do it if you want to do it , not because you feel guilty . I know a lot of people who split the year , it’s a great benefit to be able to stay connected to your roots. If I was ever forced to make a choice between both places no matter how much I love the villages I would choose Boston . I think many people as much as they love being in Florida would love to go back to there home towns , but the costs of those communities they have left has gotten to high .FYI for me my plan since the day I came to fl over 20 years ago , was to always go home for good at around 85 years old, well I’ll very soon be 84 and I still have the same plan , Florida has been fun , but it’s not Boston

[tophcfa]

Erggggg, you hit on without a doubt the biggest sore spot in my life. As far as I’m concerned, we raised our kids and the years of children responsibilities are behind us. We are now at a point in our lives where our remaining healthy years are numbered and it’s about us doing what we want whenever we friggin please without all the responsibilities we had to deal with before retirement. My wife on the other hand (I guess it’s a woman thing), can’t be away from the kids for any extended period of time, and certainly can’t miss a single friggin birthday or holiday with them. At the rate the kids are getting pumped out in our family there will soon be a dam birthday every month of the year. This dilemma is making it very difficult to plan extended stays together at our Villages home, and it’s getting very expensive and time consuming to frequently travel back and forth. If I had my way, we would sell the place up north and be in the Villages from October through mid June and rent places up north for the remaining time and visit with the kids then. My wife on the other hand would prefer two homes and the ability to fly back and forth several times per year, but be up north for most of the time. IMHO, way too complicated and expensive.

What is it with women and kids and why can’t seeing them a couple timer per year, around Christmas and the Fourth of July, be good enough?

[njbchbum]

Hmmmmm....sorry that your children are not willing to meet you part way and accept your offer to compromise. I can promise you this...when it comes time for the grandchildren to be heavily invested in school activities, friends, sports and everything else that occupies kid's waking hours - they won't be missing you as you miss them! Grands find it easier to 'cut the cord' than do the grandparents! lol

It is not fair of your children to not support your wishes and dreams. My sisters and I always told our parents "you don't have to leave us anything when you die - spend what you have now and enjoy it - you earned it!'. So, too, have you earned the future you want; and your kids have earned their independence because of all you taught them and already did for them.

Bottom line - do what is best for you...all others will adapt!

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by flower7330@gmail.com

My wife and I have considering moving to TV. We have visited all the squares and we rented a house on the south side for a month a few weeks ago. We love all the activity and energy from TV.
The one sticky point is the grand kids. They are in PA and my wife is having a huge problem trying to justify the move and missing the grand kids.
We have proposed doing a reverse snow bird where we would spend 3 or 4 months in PA in the summer time while the kids are off from school. The parents were not thrilled with us moving away and have not been very supportive.
Would love to hear some opinions on this subject.
Thank you

Summertime in the north and winter in the south is not reverse snowbird - it is snowbird. Nothing new about your proposal. The majority of snowbirds are snowbirds for two main reasons:
1 It is too hot for human existence here in FL in the summer months
2 Summer is the season to spend the most time with the grandkids

[justjim]

We have been “Sunbirds” for years and it’s a great life. A “Sunbird” owns property in Florida , is a Florida resident, and goes north for a couple months each year usually in the hot Florida summer. The Grandkids love to visit Florida too! There are several different versions of this but always remember your only a few hours away when you are really needed up north.

[MrFlorida]

You worked all your life, and now it's me time....enjoy what you have left. The grand kids can come and visit.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

It sounds more to me like your kids are upset that their free babysitter is about to quit their volunteer job. Kids aren't off from school for 3-4 months in the summer. They're off for around 2 months in the summer, a week to ten days in the winter, and an extended weekend in the spring.

You can use these times to plan events. You both go up for the late June to late August summer break. They come down to visit YOU for the winter break, and the younger ones can visit you for spring break (while the older ones are likely partying in Delray).

[Two Bills]

Sounds like your kids are upset at losing free babysitting.
Grand kids will love to come down for Disney etc.
These are your years, use them.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

It sounds more to me like your kids are upset that their free babysitter is about to quit their volunteer job. Kids aren't off from school for 3-4 months in the summer. They're off for around 2 months in the summer, a week to ten days in the winter, and an extended weekend in the spring.

You can use these times to plan events. You both go up for the late June to late August summer break. They come down to visit YOU for the winter break, and the younger ones can visit you for spring break (while the older ones are likely partying in Delray).

You beat me to it.
I've got to learn to type faster!

[coralway]

The Villages is a nice place to visit for a few months at a time, but it’s not home.

[flower7330@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by rustyp

Summertime in the north and winter in the south is not reverse snowbird - it is snowbird. Nothing new about your proposal. The majority of snowbirds are snowbirds for two main reasons:
1 It is too hot for human existence here in FL in the summer months
2 Summer is the season to spend the most time with the grandkids

The reason I say reverse is because we normally would be leaving the north and heading south in winter instead of north in the summer.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by flower7330@gmail.com

My wife and I have considering moving to TV. We have visited all the squares and we rented a house on the south side for a month a few weeks ago. We love all the activity and energy from TV.
The one sticky point is the grand kids. They are in PA and my wife is having a huge problem trying to justify the move and missing the grand kids.
We have proposed doing a reverse snow bird where we would spend 3 or 4 months in PA in the summer time while the kids are off from school. The parents were not thrilled with us moving away and have not been very supportive.
Would love to hear some opinions on this subject.
Thank you

I suppose every situation is different, and I did admit that I WAS concerned about it when we first moved, but it turned out to be a needless worry. We do not see the kids and grandkids as often as we might like, but the quality of the time we do spend with them is far better. Most of our grandkids are older (only two out of seven still in high school, but we see a lot of each other. For example a grandson (stationed at Englin AFB in the panhandle, part of an Army special-forces group) will be arriving this afternoon to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us, and my oldest granddaughter is coming down for twelve days during the beginning of December. And of the part with kids still in school--they've made it down en masse the past two winters to spend about a week with us each time. Florida in February is far more attractive than that tundra country called Minnesota.

It works the other way too. It is only about three hours from Orlando to Minneapolis non-stop and Sun Country has very reasonable fares. I flew to Minneapolis this past August to visit the kids/grandkids and it cost me less than $200 round trip.

All in all, we're as close as we ever were (maybe even closer) even though the contact is somewhat less.

[Keefelane66]

Originally Posted by flower7330@gmail.com

My wife and I have considering moving to TV. We have visited all the squares and we rented a house on the south side for a month a few weeks ago. We love all the activity and energy from TV.
The one sticky point is the grand kids. They are in PA and my wife is having a huge problem trying to justify the move and missing the grand kids.
We have proposed doing a reverse snow bird where we would spend 3 or 4 months in PA in the summer time while the kids are off from school. The parents were not thrilled with us moving away and have not been very supportive.
Would love to hear some opinions on this subject.
Thank you

That is a personal choice why care what others think or do, either you are a leader or a follower?