What’s tying you down?

Nothing is tying me down but I would give anything to be tied down by having to look after my parents, now gone sadly.

Yes, we too don't have any real ties, that is, we are free to do whatever and whenever we wish.
We are both in our early seventies, retired and in reasonably good health.
However, we do lots of volunteering, as in collecting DGC from school/nursery.
The youngest DGC, who is one year old, I look after one day per week.
My DH helps our sons with technical jobs and advice.
We are not obliged to do these things but we enjoy it and they can manage when we're not here.
We go abroad to our holiday home when we feel like it so I too feel very lucky.
Like most people, we have worked hard most of our lives, lived within our means and I suppose we can say, now we are reaping the rewards.

So sorry for your loss Barmyoldgoat
We used to have long holidays in our boat then motor home.It got too much for us in the end and now we’re happy with short holidays when we can.We look after our DS’s pets a lot,grandchildren not so much as now older.At the moment staying at DS2 house looking after the cats!a sort of holiday.?

I have been free for a few years now. I lost a lot of confidence as carer to my parents - such as social services telling me my parents were fine, but I knew they were on waiting lists for serious surgery. I was left feeling I did not have any credence no matter how often others were wrong. By the time parents had died and all DC had left home I had lost so much confidence that an outing to the local supermarket was as terrifying as climbing Everest. Driving more than a mile or two was equally terrifying.
I am still trying to build up courage to do normal everyday things

Nothing ties me down unless I want it to. Afraid I use old age to get out of stuff - mostly flying Abroad, which I hate having travelled all over the World. Enough is Enough. I belong to the Karl Pilkington Club.

I don't feel tied down by family or pets but I do feel tied down by a lack of confidence. I feel I could achieve more if I just had a bit more self belief.

Janejudge It would be a shame to let this hold you back. You'll never know what you can achieve if you don't try.
What's the worst that can happen?

'Tying you down' implies that we would like to escape any.

We live close to most of our family, we both volunteer often and live in a friendly, happy village.

Nothing is tying me down- I don't want to go anywhere.

Luckygirl3

What's tying me down!?

How I would love to be doing all the things that you describe, but ........

- I am widowed - try finding a solo holiday that does not have huge supplements, crap tiny rooms hidden away, self-catering accommodation much too big etc - impossible.
- following back surgery I cannot lift luggage and bending is painful.
- I would love to potter in my garden, but this is very hard for reasons above.

So ....... my chance to enjoy life is somewhat curtailed! And it is very very very frustrating because in my heart I am 25.

try finding a solo holiday that does not have huge supplements, crap tiny rooms hidden away, self-catering accommodation much too big etc - impossible.

Absolutely in agreement - while I understand some increase, the difference in so many cases is huge and for me, unaffordable.

Sorry I meant to say I appreciate what others feel who still have ties. Be it parents, pets, poor health, finances or work commitments I've had them all in my time.
I sometimes think I am in the lull before the storm.

Being widowed. No-one to go out on a long cycle with, to stop with for a picnic or at a pub

Same as luckygirl and going on holidays. I went on a saga cruise a year after being widowed and it was massively expensive, then I had to socialise in order to be a bit interactive with strangers.

We have no ties our children live in attractive different parts of the country always worth a visit. Parents are no longer here
We live in a beautiful part of the country that lots can't keep away from. So we roam around our own locality and go away if and when we please.
I appreciate I am very lucky and am taking it day by day you never know what is around the corner.

So sorry about your daughter barmy ?

I have my dad who lives a couple of hours drive away and he is near to my brother so not tied there.

We have our 2 delightful GC living close by. My DS and DIL feel that we have done our bit as parents so do not ask if we can help out very often. However we offer help to them if we feel it would be of use to them. Also as we love to spend time with the little ones. So we tie ourselves really. They won’t always want to spend time with us oldies I always remind myself.

I'm sorry about your daughter too barmey

I don't feel tied down by family or pets but I do feel tied down by a lack of confidence. I feel I could achieve more if I just had a bit more self belief.

Barmeyoldbat, I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter. ?

We have no pets any more, and no regular grandchild care to tie us (still do one-offs/emergencies) but oddly enough, now that we’re free to take off as and when we feel like it, I am less and less bothered about going away. We have done a great deal of travelling in the past, but although I used to have very itchy feet, they itch no more.

Plus I really loathe all the faff of airports and planes now. If we can drive to wherever it is, that’s different.

I do not think I want to to be free to do what I want, when I want.

We no longer have parents or dependent children and DGC live too far away for us ever to have had any childcare commitments. We have never had a pet to tie us down, and both retired.

But, but, but, we would be lost without the emotionalties that bind us to our children, wider family and our friends. So I am committed to Christmas, will call in on a friend on our way back from our next trip to France. I have hobbies and activities that require me to be at partiuclar plaaces at particular times,

As far as i am concerned, a life with ties is the life for me.

Barmeyoldbat - I am very sorry to hear about your daughter. x

I was somewhat tied by Wiggy (my pet cockatiel who died recently). It wasn't always easy to find someone to look after a noisy, messy bird. And I would not leave her on her own, that would be cruel.
So now I'm free. But I can't decide what to do, where to go, and can I afford it anyway? Decisions!

My daughter died in March this year, no parents alive needing care so it’s just us and our rescue diva of a cat. We spent 10 years travelling for r months of the years so we have no urgent feeling to go away for any length of time. It’s lovely just having the time to decide on the day to go somewhere for the day or just do nothing. Love it

Two teenage grandchildren who live with us but we are happy to be tied down and love them to bits.

Lack of money
Simply that
So I fill my time with work and childminding my grandchildren and crafting
But I’d love a little extra so I could go away now and then!

Having worked full time since I was 16 and my husband having had an awful commute to work for 20+ years we both feel nothing needs to tie us down any more. We are very fortunate that my husband's Mum has very good health for someone in their 90's and lives with his sister, we do keep in touch more than weekly and see her 3 or 4 times a year on visits to the area (she lives nearly 400 miles away). Our adult children live fairly near by and are very independent with no ties themselves. Our time and money is finally ours to spend and enjoy as we want. I am in good health and husband in reasonable health so we are gathering our rosebuds while we may. A very fortunate time of our lives.

Sorry pressed Post too soon.
However, we go away a lot in the U.K. for 4 day breaks and the odd week, so we aren’t tied to the house!

My daughter and my grandson. I'm desperate for them to move out so I can have my home back.

My grandson also because I'm his childcare and I also do the school runs. But I've chosen to do that and since he's my only one, want to do it.

My work doesn't tie me down at all. I work online and can do it from anywhere in the world. The timings can be a little awkward, because I teach students in different time zones. Mornings are China & Asia. Mid afternoon is the middle east. Evenings are Europe. But as long as I've got a power supply, I can work from any location.

We are on the last few days of our 3 weeks away, we are constantly on the phone to MissOops and our nephew to make sure that they are ok, there is no way that we could go further afield or away for any longer due to their health problems.
MrOops would love to go away for half the year, but that won’t happen, unless he goes on his own!