My head is selling, my heart…?

[Pinkypinkyplonk]

Just that really. Our house is about to go on the market. We’ve spent years doing it up getting it just right….
Now child no.4 is about to fly. The other three come back often, for uni holidays, Sunday lunches etc… but the reality is it’s just too big for two. I don’t want to be wandering around with empty memories.My head says do it, my kids say fine! But my heart is struggling.

It’s not so much that we can’t manage, but we’d need to employ a gardener. And I don’t want to. Like I said, it’s time to move, it’s just that I hadn’t realised how hard it would be

I meant to add
"You should own the house the house should not own you" is a good take on it.
If you can be mortgage free and working towards an ideal house for your older selves in a new house that will be amazing. Not being tied to a mortgage and upkeep of a building and putting money and energy into something that is limiting you. Stoping you moving forward.
We are looking at a similar move. Once the last child finally moves on I want to put my energy into making a new place and a new chapter not be the caretaker of a building that someone else could bring their family up in and really enjoy and keep it alive and moving forwards too. Its not after all a museum.

@664theneighbourofthebeast
yes, the head part is easy. I’m genuinely surprised at the heart.
Ive been through quite a lot in life, and honestly this has surprised me. The end of an era!
But the beginning of an awesome new one

Our lovely neighbours have just moved as all their children had left, and they've got a lovely new house in a lovely part of the world. Honestly I was in bits! Because, at some stage we'll do the same and it will be the right thing to do but it will be so hard! I love my house, but when my children have left it will be too big for us.

Think of handing it on to the next generation to enjoy, and that you can have an adventure all over again on your new house. That's what I hope I'll be able to do...

We are moving soon, for financial reasons rather than actively wanting to move!
Our new place will be much smaller, still have to fit the kids and the pets in though. I am worried we are making a huge mistake and I am going to traumatise my two teenagers.
At least you have managed to bring your kids up and they have flown the nest before you made the decision to move, I feel like a lot of people would be thrilled to have achieved what you have.
I'm genuinely not having a dig, just feeling maudlin about my own situation I suppose.

@PurelyOrnamental I hope things work out well

Do it, they'll still feel welcome and the lifestyle sounds brilliant, plus being mortgage free, couldn't hope for more!

You are being very sensible
I intend to do the same.