Ideal proximity to the kids?

[donheff]

I voted in the 30 minute drive category but I would have chosen "not a factor" if I could choose two. So far, things are working out good for DW and me since my son lives half a mile away and DD has moved back home after college. I like living nearby but would not follow them if they moved unless they happened to move to a location that I already liked enough to move to.

 

[ziggy29]

I have no kids, but we do each still have a surviving parent on either coast, and that's pretty inconvenient. I'd say maybe an hour or two away would be nice; that's close enough for frequent visits but not so close that you start randomly dropping in on each other on a whim all the time.

 

[W2R]

I have no kids, but we do each still have a surviving parent on either coast, and that's pretty inconvenient. I'd say maybe an hour or two away would be nice; that's close enough for frequent visits but not so close that you start randomly dropping in on each other on a whim all the time.

When my daughter first moved away from home right after high school, she moved into an apartment three blocks away from our house. That was as far as she wanted to go for that first step. She was working and paying her own rent, and the three block move worked out really well. But then, none of us are the type to drop in on someone unexpectedly like that. That is always a consideration for those who are thinking of living close together.

Ah, those were the days! One of the most difficult but rewarding parts of parenthood was watching our baby bird first begin to spread her wings and fly, and gently and carefully letting her begin to guide herself more and more, in so many ways in which we had once guided her ourselves. Finally she was ready to make the huge three block leap from the nest. She is an independent young lady with a good head on her shoulders, and we are so proud of her.

 

[Orchidflower]

Funny story, W2R. My son's first apartment was still in Bellaire, more than 3 blocks away, but close enough to walk if I had to. It was kinda humorous then, too, to me.
I would never ever visit him without him knowing I wanted to come over and checking. He does the same thing here now. I've never been a nosy mother, and he likes his privacy.

 

[grumpy]

I voted for 30 minute drive but given that our DD lives in NYC and our son and his wife live in North Carolina, the best we can do is to live about equi-distant from them both - in Northern Virginia. We are hoping for our first grandchild to come along in the not too distant future, which will mean frequent 4 hour drives to NC. Next trip to NYC we plan to try one of the bus services (Bolt, Vamoose, etc.) that operate between DC and NYC. They are supposed to be cheap, clean and convenient.

 

[Khan]

I attended college ~200 miles from home town. Senior year my parents (with sister) moved ~1400 miles in other direction.