[MrFlorida]

We call it " me time " we raised our kids, they have their own lives. Enjoy what you have left !

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by Jayhawk

Apparently your only child made a decision at some point to leave family for their own reasons. Wouldn't they want you to be happy with your quality of life?

No dilemma. Make your visits quality time and everyone wins. The kids and grandkids have their own lives to live.

Proximity to, or distance from, adult children and grand children is a factor within the scope of “quality of life”: do what you like, and consider that you will acquire limitations with age.

[jimkerr]

Make the move. Your kids will love visiting you and your grandkids will always be excited to come!

I was not happy when my parents moved here 20 years ago. When I visited the first time I understood why they moved here. Now I live here too!

[MX rider]

We just bought a home there. We're going to retire at the end of the year. We plan on keeping our home here in SW Indiana and snow bird until the grandkids get older. My wife isn't ready to move to TV fulltime yet. Which is fine with me. 6 months a year we love it in Indiana, but for 6 months I hate the weather. So snowbirding works for me for now. That said, owning 2 homes is not something we plan on doing longterm.

Everybody's situation is different. Really depends on what makes you happy. I know a number of people who would never move away from their grandkids and family, which is ok. But that's not us. We consider our retirement our time. Our kids all know where they can find us. lol

[Two Bills]

We have moved several times, never leaving a forwarding address.
Kids still track us down!

[Berwin]

It has been my experience that once you get older and your health deteriorates, you want to be close to family. My in-laws moved to a retirement community in Phoenix where my FIL played golf every day. Several years later, they decided to move back east to be close to my wife (an only child). One of the things that made it easier to decide to move down here is that our daughter lives in south Georgia only three hours away and one of our sons is in N. Carolina.

[msilagy]

I am a snowbird 6.5 months in Fl and the rest in Illinois. I am fortunate that my 5 grandkids ranging from 8-22 all have birthdays during the summer when I am here as well as my 2 children. I have been doing this for 12 years since I retired. I have owned 3 homes in TV. The last one I bought is the last one. I will however move back to be with family in the next few years. Why? It's too. much of a fairyland in TV and I enjoy the real world with all ages surrounding me. Poor health care in TV (absolutely) where I am at we have 5 teaching hospitals, much better care, better food in restaurants and most importantly my family. I am not a full time villager and never will be. Sitting around the table during holidays with others in the TV pales compared to sitting with family and extended family. My final years will be spent in Il with a trip somewhere Jan - Mar health permitting.

[Luggage]

most find after a few grandchildren are born, that once or twice a year visits are all they need.. with computers/zoom etc .. you can see and hear them daily.

Originally Posted by TOMCAT

My husband and I want to downsize and live in a smaller home with little maintenance. We have been to The Villages a couple of times and almost moved there.

To make a long story short, our only child moved back to our state and now lives about 10 minutes away from us with our grandkids. I have been looking at 55+ communities here in New York, but nothing as nice as The Villages is here. Did anyone have this dilemma of leaving family for a better quality of life?

[ElDiabloJoe]

Lol, the more of you that move back to NY / NJ / CT the better Just don't become half-backs, got enough of those around our lake house.

[clwahlstrom]

We left our two kids and six grandkids in California four years ago. Spend the summers back there, they each visit once a year, and we are back a couple other times in the year. And that is an all day flight. You can make it work.

[joelfmi]

They do not have community travel which is a big negative when buying there if you don't Drive. They won't tell you that.

[joelfmi]

The village is a lot of smoke and mirror's.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

They do not have community travel which is a big negative when buying there if you don't Drive. They won't tell you that.

They have never advertised there is community travel. If it is such a big negative, why are thereover 150,00 residents?

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

They do not have community travel which is a big negative when buying there if you don't Drive. They won't tell you that.

If you do not drive this is not the place for you. We knew that before buying.

[Laker14]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

They do not have community travel which is a big negative when buying there if you don't Drive. They won't tell you that.

Thanks! Good thing you are here and always willing to share this information with us, reminding us of the bad decision we've all made buying in this hell hole.

Originally Posted by joelfmi

The village is a lot of smoke and mirror's.

Smoke and mirrors, you say? So I've been imagining the recreation centers, golf courses, pickleball courts, and the 100,000+ people out and about, enjoying their lives here. It's all just pixie dust. Thanks again for enlightening us.