[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by mrsyarbie

My 27 year old loves it here , to visit but not to live. Would not advise it for someone that young and just starting out in life ...

I agree with you.

Our 40 year old and 28 year old spouse loved it; he said he could actually envision himself at "retirement" living in TV. That would be age 55....as he said "in 15 years". Will never happen with two babies now and more anticipated soon........the math just doesn't work.

I cannot even, in my wildest dreams, imagine our son living in THE VILLAGES at age 20 when he was still at the university or at age 22 upon graduation when he relocated out west to Colorado.

He moved to a university town, got a job, went back for his M.B.A. and built a huge network of friends whom he met through not only work and school, but via the cycling, hiking, rock climbing, kayacking, volunteer work with various large organizations, being a mentor to inner city "down on their luck" kids, participating in marathons in Moab Utah, bike races, etc. and on and on, plus traveling the world (meaning third world countries.......) , being involved in local "p" which I can't say, and so on.

His circle of friends , gals and guys, would do "out of bounds" skiing to the cabins built by the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army after World War II.......and still maintained today.......he took avalanche training.......he scuba dived off Mexico and got his license......in other words, he "grew" in so many ways HE COULD NOT HAVE GROWN LIVING WITH HIS DAD AND MYSELF IN OUR HOME.

Yes I worried when he was in all those third world countries but again, he "grew" and saw how the rest of the world lived.

He also spent Christmas holidays in places like New Zealand and Australia, Japan, etc. Coming from a very small , insulated, town, who would have thought?

He visited all the national parks out west, hiked in the Grand Canyon, you name it, they all did it.......healthy "fit" choices are what his friends made in life.

For those of you telling this person about where he could DRINK?????
They'll find that place on their own if they choose. Drinking is not a highlight of life.......not as far as I'm concerned anyway.

There's actually a lot more to life than eating at Applebee's and dancing at a bar.

He and several friends went to Cambodia to find a little girl on a "raft school" run by the R.C. diocese......to give her a large donation of money for her education, collected in Denver........they assumed they were going to a brick and mortar school and it ended up being a "raft" on a river.

He backpacked all over Asia........hiked in Peru to Macchu Picchu.....too many places to name here. He overnighted with more "raft people" in Peru........really rugged type travel.

All of his boyhood friends had "adventures" in their early 20's and mid to late 20's..........not just dancing and drinking. Nuff said.

I do not see that kind of a well rounded life for a young man in THE VILLAGES. Fine for his parents, yes, of course.

If he has health issues, that is a totally other story and not what I am commenting on.

I have two dear neices who are both autistic and aged 42 and 44 and will forever live with their parents. I totally understand that. They are mute.

However, I don't think it's what a 20 year old would want......to be living with their parents in a retirement community.

Our daughter taught at a community college.

Students do not usually have the "social life" that a university campus and college town would have.

Community colleges are often used for two year associate degrees or as a stepping stone to get into a 4 year university or by adults taking night classes after work.

In our neighborhood, we have one family down at the end who have two twenty something "twin boys".......one has a mental issue; both came home to live as they could not support themselves. Their "drumming" drives the neighbors crazy. One lost his license and got a bicycle which he drove through snow and ice.........now he's got his license back and bought a motorcycle..........the noise is deafening between the bike and the drums..........everyone complains. The rest of us are all 60 somethings and enjoy a quiet peaceful life.

I guess I should feel very blessed that our two adult children (18 is adult nowadays) were able to manage to stick with their education and go out ont their own to explore the world, get married, buy homes and raise families.

In ending, we have tons of YOUNG FRIENDS that we've known since their birth and childhoods...........they love to visit us and our door is always open........they love to send us pics of their new babies and their school aged children.......they bring the kids over to visit us.........but none of them live with their parents.

We love young people. Just don't think they should live with their parents. The "room mate situation" is very popular with the younger crowd. It teaches responsibility, budgeting, etc.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

You asked about young people living here.

In our small village of 52 homes, there is a daughter and husband in their 20's living with parents part time and I think they are students.

In our first village, Hadley, I didn't know of anyone who had a child living with them up and down the several streets of people with whom we were familiar..

Among all of the friends I have met from TOTV and in real places around The Villages, I have met one other person who had a child who would never be independent living with them as ours is.

I really don't think that there is a LOT of young people, at least in my experience.

The picture you paint is what we experienced last fall in TV.

In our first neighborhood, there were absolutely no children at all to be seen or heard.

In our second neighborhood, in a different county, DITTO.

Actually, we never saw any children at all in The Villages during October and November..........not even on Halloween, even though we bought goodies to hand out to trick or treaters, should they come.

Knowing the activities our 7 and 10 year old grandchildren participate in (and believe me, they are in a myriad of community, school and church activities, camps, plays , ballet recitals, you name it....sports galore) they would be bored out of their mind living in THE VILLAGES.

That's not to say they wouldn't LOVE spending their school vacations in THE VILLAGES.....yes they would.

Our 18 year old grandaughter would no doubt LOVE LIVING WITH US FOR AWHILE.........but then, like any other young person, would miss her own social life and normal type activities which she would have in a normal town.......which has all ages.

Now , would all the nice quiet neighbors we had while visiting last year really want all these kids around all the time???????

Children have FRIENDS.......teenagers have FRIENDS.......college kids have FRIENDS........they sometimes arrive in noisy cars. They stay up all hours of the night. They leave in their noisy cars. Nuff said.

Our baby grandchildren absolutely would love The Villages. They go to bed the same time we do. Very quiet babies. They nap when we do.
I think they should have a new "village" just for babies.

[jblum315]

[QUOTE=senior citizen;566266]I agree with you.

Our 40 year old and 28 year old spouse loved it; he said he could actually envision himself at "retirement" living in TV. That would be age 55....as he said "in 15 years". Will never happen with two babies now and more anticipated soon........the math just doesn't work.

I cannot even, in my wildest dreams, imagine our son living in THE VILLAGES at age 20 when he was still at the university or at age 22 upon graduation when he relocated out west to Colorado.

Your son sounds just like my son. Once he hit California I knew he would never ever move back to NY, whether to our house or whatever. But he too loves to visit me here in TV.

[senior citizen]

[quote=jblum315;566275]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

I agree with you.

Our 40 year old and 28 year old spouse loved it; he said he could actually envision himself at "retirement" living in TV. That would be age 55....as he said "in 15 years". Will never happen with two babies now and more anticipated soon........the math just doesn't work.

I cannot even, in my wildest dreams, imagine our son living in THE VILLAGES at age 20 when he was still at the university or at age 22 upon graduation when he relocated out west to Colorado.

Your son sounds just like my son. Once he hit California I knew he would never ever move back to NY, whether to our house or whatever. But he too loves to visit me here in TV.

California is beautiful as well........Colorado in a more rugged way, but stunningly beautiful if one can take the altitude.

Our son flies often to California on business; his wife has family there and in Oregon. When he spread his wings to leave our little town at age 17 to live on campus 4 hours north of us, he began his journey to independence and as I said earlier, has made a very good life for himself.
As has your son.

With few jobs remaining in small towns (unless you are in the medical field or self employed), they have to "go west young man".........all the high tech jobs are in Colorado and California.

However, he also flies back east a lot, to clients in N.Y.C. , N.J., up north to Minneapolis, and so and and so forth, Chicago, etc........well rounded traveler.

Our daughter did move away after graduation from the university that was 4 hours one way from us....lived on campus as well, then got an apartment up there..........later moved to Boston to begin her career, got married and then told her husband she wanted to "raise a family" but only in Vermont........so she did return to the northern part of our state.
They also had bought homes in Massachusetts.

As I originally mentioned, I thought they'd both come home to their childhood bedrooms upon graduation.........at age 21/22 but what did I know?

In hindsight and retrospect, what they did was healthy....both for them and for us.

It might be different in other parts of the country as we have a cousin who really loves having her 30 year old son still living at home; makes his lunch every morning, washes his clothes, cooks his supper, etc. and says he is saving for his million dollar home at the Jersey shore.

He is self employed as a landscaper and more power to him, but with every year that passes, I begin to wonder. We bought low and resold for a profit each time........never did even contemplate buying a million dollar home. In our dreams. Often, some parents, of children who do not have mental or physical disabilities, are just enablers....or just hate to see their babies grow up. Our cousin still calls her son "her baby"....and said she would not retire to THE VILLAGES as long as he remains in N.J. Go figure.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by sharonga

Living in TV since May. So many different kinds of people. So many judgemental and so many not.

I didn't see any being "judgemental"...simply stating one's opinion as to what they went through with their own brood of kids and other young people they knew as friends.

We've always had young people in and out of our home.
I know how they think.

If you took a poll of twenty somethings or even those in high school and asked them "How many want to live in a retirement community near their grandparents?.........."

What exactly might the response be???? I wonder. Someone should do a poll.

Of course they'd all like to visit.........although I didn't see the "Adult Disney World" at all, that one always hears about, for someone in need of a "spring break" and a free one offered at Gram and Gramps, who would say NO? No one.

But to live at THE VILLAGES full time? I don't think so.

Now, just maybe, if a kid was championship high school golf material (we have such a group in our town, or at least did when ours were in high school).......maybe it would seem like heaven to them, meaning the golf courses to challenge them ..........but after awhile, the lack of gals and guys their own age, would start to get "old". No pun intended.

We are 67 and proud of it. Don't pretend to be twenty somethings.

[Patty55]

I'm hoping that when my 17 year old niece graduates this year she'll consider moving down here (for 30 days ). She's a great kid, but I don't see a lot for her on Long Island. It's kind of sad, but even with the housing market depressed up there I don't see how kids today can make a go of it.

When she visits (for less than 30 days ) she always checks out cute guys her age. Maybe there should be a club for all the youngsters.

[shcisamax]

A club. Great idea. My 20 year olds wouldn't have run for the hills when they came to see us. They thought TV was perfect for us but had hoped to find a couple of others their age to hang with occasionally.

[PetrinaLOL]

The villages is allowed under 20% of under 55's, I live and work in The Villages, and equally love the lifestyle as my husband and I have no children. We are renters and i'm sure we could buy it we wanted to.

[Patty55]

Originally Posted by shcisamax

A club. Great idea. My 20 year olds wouldn't have run for the hills when they came to see us. They thought TV was perfect for us but had hoped to find a couple of others their age to hang with occasionally.

My friends daughter is 19 or 20 and comes down to do the HITS show in Ocala, she's not staying here (unless her trainer throws her out-LOL) but she'll be around. Your children should go up the show, lots of kids from your area, they might already know some of them.

Last year I had a group of maybe 8 kids visiting for the day. We all went to LSL to eat and hang out. THE LOOKS these kids got were a disgrace. Nobody was drinking, they were dancing, huddling with their BS gossip and drinking Starbucks. They are nice, respectful well-dressed kids and people looked at them like they were convicted felons.

[sueandskip]

Originally Posted by Down Sized

I sure would not do it to my kids. If you were twenty, would you want to live with 90% old people??? Why don't you move to a collage town instead. Sounds like he might need a better education?

If I were in my 20's I wouldn't want to live around a bunch of old foggies !

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

It seems to me that there are quite a few young people hanging in the town squares at night. I often wonder where they come from. I also noticed a lot of teenagers on a Friday night and some to a few of them. They said they come there every Friday night.

I'm not saying there is a huge percentage of twenty something, but I'd say there's 15% or so of people under 50.

15% is too high.

[Bogie Shooter]

Hey Bill................its time for some

[Polar Bear]

Then it's sure a good thing it's not you guys that might come live with me!!

Originally Posted by sueandskip

If I were in my 20's I wouldn't want to live around a bunch of old foggies !

[Patty55]

Originally Posted by sueandskip

If I were in my 20's I wouldn't want to live around a bunch of old foggies !

How sad, I cherish the time I got to spend with my grandparents.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Here ya go Bogie! Take a bit and pass it around!

Bill