New GC

Lots of good advice on here. Take a deep breath and don’t rush into saying or doing anything immediately.
Once the dust dies down your daughter might realise she’s asking too much.

Never assume that your children will stay put. With all due respect, they may well not consider you, if they needed or had the opportunity to live somewhere else. So- I would live just where you want to...and then work round that. It’s important that you don’t sacrifice your own happiness too much, otherwise, in the long run, you won’t be any help or joy to anyone..

I don't think it's a good idea to move - as someone else said, your daughter could decide to move elsewhere. In the Suffolk village in which I used to live, there was an elderly lady who'd moved from Kent to be near her daughter who'd also moved from Kent. After a few years daughter moved back to Kent and the lady also moved back. As one gets older friends are beneficial and are often around when family members aen't because of work commitments etc.

If you can afford it, perhaps you could rent somewhere so that you can be with your daughter when the baby arrives and later on go up for a long weekend every so often.

I think this is a knee jerk reaction to finding herself pregnant and all the joy that has come with that and she probably hasn't thought much about the actual logistics of this idea. I would stay where you are and visit when you can and have a planned stay when baby arrives. After the birth things could change a lot anyway so bide your time and I don't see any harm in half jokingly inviting her to move near you and seeing her reaction to the idea.

What message would you be sending to your DGDs if you did this? That they were disposable? That you loved their cousin more than them? That you'd (as far as they know) been happy to see them often, but could just up sticks and move hundreds of miles away as soon as someone else asked..??
I'm sure that none of these is the message that you want them to have; they may have to share you in future, but please don't let them see you as someone who they love - and who just disappears...and at 7, that is what they'll see... ?

What jumps out at me here is that you have twin granddaughters who you are close to. If you move away to be near your daughter and her coming child, aren't you telling the grandchildren you already have that their aunt's child is more important to you than they are?

This is what I would expect any seven year old to get out of your moving, and it wouldn't surprise me if their parents felt the same.

If the seven year olds are your son's daughters please think hard and long here, because to my mind you would be telling him that his sister is more important than he is.

You seem to have a very good relationship with both the grandchildren you already have and their parents. As you probably know a lot of grans on gransnet don't. I wouldn't risk a relationship you already have which is so good.

Is it quite out of the question for your expectant daughter to me closer to you and her brother? sister?

Why does she want you near her? Is she looking for free child minding? Assuming that you have done it once and will do so for her too.

Congratulations to both you and her, a much wanted baby is a blessing, but please, do count the blessings you already have too.

I would stay close to my friends and the twins. Moving is a nightmare and what if your daughter decided to emigrate next year. The twins will be heartbroken too.

I look after 3 grandchildren locally on an almost daily basis for 2 of my daughters. A third daughter lives abroad and whenever she has a baby (4) I go for 6 weeks and my daughters locally make other arrangements for that time.
I would not move unless it was my choice to do so. Too expensive for a start. Stay put!!

Think about an Airbnb rental near where she lives around the time baby is born. Unless it's high season or in a fabulous city, the host will almost undoubtedly do you a reduction deal for a fortnight stay.

You say 'we'. Can one of you go up there for a while, and the other carry on as normal with twins.

I've moved around a lot, starting up in a new area is a big deal. Many/most of our relationships are work or interest related. Please think about it carefully, before making this big decision.

I agree with others on here. Does your DD think that now the twins are at school they don't need you as much and she will need help with a tiny baby?
Is there some sibling rivalry going on?
Our AC all live miles away - in one case 12,000 - so we just can't help them out much.
We haven't moved. They all moved away from us.

I hope you can come to a happy arrangement with intensive help at the beginning and some judicious babysitting weekends later on.

Congratulations to your DD

Ask yourself, would you have asked this of your own mother?

We have somehow created a sense of entitlement within our own children and in my experience it knows no bounds and rarely works both ways.

Put yourself first, in what should be a more relaxed, peaceful period of your life.

When I was pregnant with my first child, my parents were in a turmoil as they had decided to move nearer to their parents to look after them in their old age. Even though I needed my Mum and Dad’s support, I would never have asked them to change all their plans just because I was expecting their Grandchild. It was hard at first them living so far away but I made sure that my girls always saw them regularly and they came to stay with us too. I’m quite lucky now to be a Granny that lives close to my own daughter so I can help out but if she lived miles away I wouldn’t up sticks just to be near her. I would just make sure that we visited each other regularly like I had to with my parents. ?

I agree that you shouldn't move for all the reasons given of other posters.

It's the possibility of this dilemma arising that is one of the things that makes me determined not to be a childminding granny; I have three children in different locations round the country, plus a demanding elderly mother near me. I do feel guilty at times, such as when I see so many GPs collecting children from the local schools, but have many reasons for not doing it, not all of them selfish! When I was A) a child and B) a young parent, there was never this expectation that GPs should do all this and it's very unfair, especially when our own parents are living for longer but not necessarily in good health. Rant over!

If I had been trying for a baby for 15 years I would want to enjoy every moment with my precious baby. Surely she is going to be a stay at home mum?
It is totally unreasonable for her to ask you to move. Just find a tactful way of telling her no.

Good advice annehinckley,explain you can come and help however often you feel you can,then your husband can be there for existing family,you can go in an emergency or each month for so many days( good way to get your hands on the lovely new baby)Maybe she can come and stay when she is not working,see other family and be spoiled by Mum & Dad.She probably feels nervous and overwhelmed and what you do for one child the others always expect,human nature.Don't worry it will all work out.

When my dd got pregnant she lived over 100 miles away.We could have upped sticks and moved but both my parents were ill and died just before and just after the baby came.
She decided to move nearer to home for the support and it's worked really well.
They bought a bigger house for the same money and both got jobs within a couple of months so win win.

I would think long and hard about moving. I moved to Harrow to help my pregnant and disabled daughter, when the child was 1 year old she got pregnant again meaning I was looking after my grandson and both her and her husband, both treated me as a nanny/housekeeper. My daughter treated me abominably, the last straw came the day she said ‘I’m going to the gym, I’ll be a couple of hours, wash the conservatory floor while I’m out because husband has left dirty footprints on it’. No please or thank you! I had to get on my hands and knees to scrub off the ‘rubber’ marks from his shoes. Bear in mind I have arthritis in both hands. At that time I did used to smoke but always in the garden, when she got back she screamed at me that I’d smoked in her house, which I hadn’t. I told her husband that I’d had enough and I wouldn’t be coming back. He begged me not to leave him with her but I just couldn’t take any more of her abuse! I did try ringing her several times after a couple of months to try to make up but she refused to speak to me. GS is now 19, he did try to contact me on FB when he was about 14 but she checks everything he does on line and she blamed me saying I’d tried to get in touch with him. Luckily, my other D was with me when the message came through and she did tell her it was GS that had tried to contact me! We haven’t had any contact now for about 16years.
I have now taken the decision that my other children will NOT tell her if or when I’m taken ill or die and she is NOT to come to my funeral. I’m also sad that I can’t talk to my other D as much as I should because she will tell her what I have said as they do keep in touch. The sad thing is..,.I’ve had no contact with my GS or his sister.
I’m not saying your D will do this to you but if you have no friends or other relatives in the area you could end up being at her beck and call! Only you know your children best.

Could or would your daughter move to be nearer you? Its her first and she is probably in a panic about coping and childcare. Suggest you stay where you are but go and stay with your daughter after she has the baby to help her get into a routine, about a week or two should be long enough. Does she have a mil nearby who can help? Think long and hard about giving up the life you have.

She obviously wants and needs babysitting and support.

But at what cost to you.

What about your other grandchildren. Surely they will miss you, and you them.

I think the answer is a definite No.

Where has OP gone?

Wobbles. Just what I was thinking. Perhaps she has lost interest?

I was just about to post that the OP has not had the courtesy to acknowledge the replies that she has had.

Surely I can't be the only person that gets a bit miffed by this?

phoenix miffed is the right word.
I don't understand people starting threads then disappearing.

Goodness me she only posted yesterday! Some people are not online 16 hours a day, or even every day. If she's not back by tomorrow night then that's the time to express disappointment.