to be gutted because parents selling the family home

[takethattastic]

and moving some distance away even though I have my own home, married, 38 and 2 kids??!!

It is sad, definitely. However, I wish my mum had decided to sell ours. We could have all helped and kept special sentimental items and dealt with it together. As it is, we lost mum very suddenly and now have our family house to clear and no idea how to do it, what to keep or what we should do with everything.
At least you have the opportunity to sort things together, thought don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to take away from you how hard it is. In your position I would have felt exactly the same. It's only with hindsight that I talk really. Good luck.

DH's parents bought their house in 1959 and PIL died in 2007. The house is crumbling, draughty, far too big and the garden is going to ruin. MIL cannot cope but wild horses won't persuade her to sell up and go into the nice McCarthy and Stone complex down the road or even one of the nice flats on the river 250 yeards from us. We are also 250 miles away and are constantly worried. DH goes up once a month to try to keep the garden under control, and the bog and kitchen clean. She will not under any circumstances have any help because it isn't for poor people like her.