[Stu from NYC]

The hardest thing of living here is we do not see our kids and grandkids nearly as much as we used to. Than again covid sure has not helped

[ddawson922]

My 4 sons visit a lot. My oldest already bought a Villa to rent. My youngest comes a least 5-6 times a year spending several weeks with my 3 year old grandson. On occasion I fly home to see them, but I still enjoy everything the villages has to offer. I love it here.

[rustyp]

Dear Ann:

‘My son and his wife split up when my grandchild was three. They went to court and everything was fine for ten years.

He had an order and would see her at weekends. Suddenly, she couldn’t come to see her father anymore, we were told she was “busy” and then she was bought a puppy and we were told she “couldn’t leave the puppy”

‘For two years, there’s been no contact. She’s nearly 15 now and she was nearly 13 when we last saw her. We’ve been back to court to try and gain access but the judge said she’s old enough to make her own decisions on whether she wants to see us.

‘We understand that she’s growing up and things would change but we send cards, we send presents, we send money and we don’t get anything back. There’s no contact at all.

My question - do we have a legal right to puppy visitation ?

Signed
Forlorned in Leisureville

[Gulfcoast]

We're not in TV, yet, nor do we have grandchildren, yet. Our kids are young adults (college age) and I don't anticipate them having children of their own for quite awhile. So, for us, we'll be moving to TV around the time that our kids will be leaving the nest to pursue their own careers. We'll likely have been living in TV for years before the first grandchild comes along. It's also possible that our kids will decide to settle down someplace nearby TV. That will be their choice to make and I'll be good with whatever they decide to do.

[DonnaNi4os]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

My wife and I have one adopted son with our daughter-in-law living close by here in Florida. Our son and wife treat my wife and I wonderful in so many ways to mention.
The four of us travel a lot, play cards, and spent a lot of time together.

Wife and I where never blessed with grandchildren and wondered about people here in Florida that just pulled up stakes and left their sons, daughters and young grandchildren some were miles out of state.

Do you feel a void part of your life by missing them dearly and being part of their lives?
Do you wish you lived closer to enjoy them besides a occasional phone call or visit?

From Happy Parents

Cheers!

It sounds like you have the best of both worlds. As I began plans to leave NJ and begin my life here I thought about it a lot. I raised 4 kids on my own after being widowed early, so perhaps it was time for me? I would be leaving them and my 8 grandkids behind. Although, my oldest daughter had moved to TX with her 2 kids a few years before. It occurred to me that any of my kids might be required to move out of state for the same reason. Despite being within 15 minutes of my other 3 kids and 6 grands, I didn’t see them often except for one of them. Sure we had holidays together and then there was the babysitting duties that I cherished….well, maybe not always. Add on top of this the fact that living in NJ is extremely costly, I made the decision to move. My daughter asked me why I wanted to leave and I responded that I felt like I was sitting around waiting to die. Her response was “then I want you to go”. Since moving here my TX daughter has moved to Orlando and my son bought a home in Naples. Do I wish we were all together, yes I do. But that is life in the 21st century. We are a mobile society and have the ability to FaceTime anytime we want and I cherish the moments when my phone rings and my 11 year old grandson’s face appears and he talks for half an hour. I also cherish the visits to NJ and theirs to FL. That’s my sincere answer to your question.

[tophcfa]

Ergggggggg, you hit a sore spot. The wife can’t let go of seeing the kids/grandkids for every dam birthday or holiday. The kids are the biggest “we can’t because” keeping us (me) from enjoying the golden years on our schedule. There seems to be a friggin birthday for one of the kids every month of the year. It’s becoming a pain in the butt and getting very expensive to travel back and forth between our homes. Every birthday means another month we can’t be enjoying our Villages home so we can spend three hours being ignored by the kid until the minute it takes him/ her to open the presents we brought. Why can’t seeing all the kids a couple times a year at a family outing be enough??????

[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by La lamy

Such a thoughtful question from a well adjusted family person, yet "grumpy old..." have to make snarky unnecessary comments. I just want to remind people that you can "IGNORE" people who typically leave rude comments, by going to "USER SETTINGS" at top of page (write out the person's name before so you'll remember, or copy and paste). On the left of the page there is a SETTINGS & OPTIONS paragraph, click on Edit Ignore List. Type in the person you want to Ignore, press OKAY and Poof, no more unnecessary grump on your feed. Very useful tool for those of us who try to avoid debbie downers. Have a great day everybody!

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...1&d=1651152137

[DaleDivine]

We moved here 8 years ago. My wife was adamant about not wanting to move here because of her two grown children (that love me very much) from her previous marriage.
I told her we can't let the children decide our lives. Due to back injuries my wife was having a hard time getting up and down stairs so I said we're moving to a rancher. And since I love to golf so much I figured this was the place to be. Now we're both glad we made the move and children and grandchildren visit frequently...

[DaleDivine]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...v-aaab065-jpeg

Especially if they ride around in golf cart with a clipboard.

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

The hardest thing of living here is we do not see our kids and grandkids nearly as much as we used to. Than again covid sure has not helped

yes, Covid was the gamechanger in visits from family. everyone from 'home' were under extreme lockdown & couldn't leave the state, much less come here. plans were cancelled & trips postponed. we saw a daughter & grandkids for the 1st time in 2years only last month. it was during that time i missed them the most

[ffresh]

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy

Thank you, I didn't know that. I don't understand why people from the "friendliest hometown" are so snarky. I couldn't find anything in the OP that deserved a snark.

Perspective
Perspective - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

Fred

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by DaleDivine

We moved here 8 years ago. My wife was adamant about not wanting to move here because of her two grown children (that love me very much) from her previous marriage.
I told her we can't let the children decide our lives. Due to back injuries my wife was having a hard time getting up and down stairs so I said we're moving to a rancher. And since I love to golf so much I figured this was the place to be. Now we're both glad we made the move and children and grandchildren visit frequently...

what a happy story- it looks like your move was meant to be

[LianneMigiano]

In 2010 we made "the big move" from CT to The Villages. Three of our 4 children (and 2 grandchildren) remained there. As another responder has noted here, the holidays with children were often split between in-laws and us. Even when we went from FL to visit up north, the cost of flights, rental cars etc. were nearly squandered because the kids all had jobs and the "grands" were in school. We have become really fortunate in that 2 of our oldest children moved here in 2020! They love it here as much as we do. It will be quite a while before the remaining "northerner" could even consider a move to The Villages due to the age of his children - but my hope is that I live long enough to see the day that it happens.

[Two Bills]

Wife and I have moved countless times, never leaving a forwarding address, but kids keep tracking us down!

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Wife and I have moved countless times, never leaving a forwarding address, but kids keep tracking us down!

Want to make sure they know where their inheritance is going