Boomers Moving to be Closer to Adult Children
Apr 19, 2015 – Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani once said, “What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies.” After moving from Rolla, Missouri to St. Louis, Mayflower customer Wanda Dobson is able to provide these essentials and more to her new granddaughter.
Wanda, a retired medical technologist, is a first-time grandparent, and a multi-time mover. Originally from South Dakota, she decided to move in closer to her two sons after retirement so that she could spend more time with her adult children and the new growing family her son Aaron was beginning.
“Both my son and daughter-in-law work full-time and neither wanted to leave their jobs when my granddaughter was born, but they also didn’t want to spend a fortune on daycare,” said Wanda. “I wanted to be able to see my grandkids grow up so I decided to move to St. Louis to help care for the baby while mom and dad are at work.”
Wanda is not alone in her decision to move closer to her adult children and grandchildren. According to the 2015 Mayflower Movers Insight Study, one in four U.S. adults with children are more willing to move closer to their adult children now compared to a year ago. As Wanda’s son found out, good full-time caregivers are hard to come by, and with nearly 60 percent of U.S. families having two working parents, it’s no surprise that Mayflower’s study also found 50 percent of Americans believe grandparents are needed in the same town as their children and grandchildren.
As a child, Wanda grew up just a mile from her paternal grandparents. She understood how important it was to spend time and build relationships, something her own mother was unable to do with thirteen children and numerous grandchildren throughout the country.
Although she was excited to move closer to her sons and their families, she dreaded the actual process of moving. To add to the stress, she needed to find a moving company that could hold her belongings overnight because of her closing times on the old house and the new one. She found Dodge Moving, a Missouri-based Mayflower agent, to complete the move. According to Wanda, they were prompt, efficient, friendly and easy to work with.
Wanda now takes care of her granddaughter full-time with unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, and in time, plenty of cookies for the whole family.
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