I retired at 57 and moved to an RV. It wasn't my plan, but I wanted to be close to my grandchild.

10.08.2024 - 10:50 / insider.com

There was a knock-knock-knock at my RV door. My 3-year-old granddaughter was coming to have breakfast with my wife and me. The door opened, and she stepped in wearing her Bluey pajamas. I looked across the yard and waved to her mom.

Jena took off her Minnie Mouse slippers, went to my fridge, got out her orange juice, grabbed a straw from the drawer, and plopped down in my recliner. Taking a sip of her juice, she asked if she could watch Blippi. This was a fairly typical Saturday morning.

I hadn't planned on retiring at 57 or living in an RV. Funny how grandkids change things. When I saw the smile on my wife's face holding Jena as a baby, I knew the plan would change.

In 2022, we sold our house, bought an RV, and moved to Vancouver, Washington. We've been very fortunate to spend so much time with the kids. It's been great, though there have been challenges. It could have been disastrous for us had we not had such a good relationship with the kids.

Relationships are challenging. Moving into a house owned by your adult children is a role reversal that some may have difficulty adjusting to. It's not your house; you are no longer the leader; you're a follower.

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Money can be a major stress point in any relationship, and adding additional people to a household comes with added costs. My son refuses to accept rent from me and won't let me pay any of the bills, so we take it out in trade.

My wife and I do a lot of household chores, even yard work. Once a week, we do the grocery shopping or pay for a Costco run. On Thursdays, I'll get takeout, or we'll all go to a restaurant, my treat.

They bought a fixer-upper house, and there is always some project underway that we are helping with. I thought that being retired would be more relaxing, but I regularly find myself hanging drywall, painting, putting in new fencing, or installing flooring. The work we do not only saves the kids money but also gives them more time as a family.

Jena is our granddaughter, and we take care of her because we love her, not because it is a chore or some way to offset expenses. It's fun being with her, going on walks to the park or the corner store to get ice cream, or playing in her blow-up pool in the backyard.

This is also a way to help the kids out. They can go out on a dinner date, and they don't have to worry about her. Sometimes, they'll go to a concert, and they don't get back until after Jena's asleep. She says night-night to mommy and daddy, gives them big hugs, and waves to them out the window. Then, we have a yummy dinner and a fun evening before bedtime.

When we are staying with the kids, we are in the RV. We come over a few times during the day, and for family dinners, and Jena will come over and visit us.