Worried about parents keeping busy

[MammaGnomes]

My parents are due to retire at Christmas. Both are quite active and young at heart but neither drive so I'm starting to worry about how they will fill their time. I know for the first couple of months even maybe a year they will enjoy the novelty of lazy mornings and such but I do also think that this will wear off pretty quickly.

I'm thinking I might tie their Christmas present in with a new hobby they could both get into, Either together or separately.
Any ideas?

They aren't really into anything as such other than nice holidays. We live in a pretty boring town but has good links into Manchester

Not really your problem re: them filling their time!

But as for an activity, that’s a fun gift. What about a pottery class?

Leave them be. I’m sure they’ll be fine & have thought about this themselves. If they’re active people now, they must have hobbies already? I wouldn’t want someone picking a new hobby for me.

Have a look to see if there is a u3a organisation near them and perhaps treat them to membership if you think it would appeal ? - there are over 1.000 across the country so there may well be one nearby. Specifically for retired and semi-retired, each one is run independently by and for its members, so the activity groups will vary but they should find something that appeals
u3a - Find your local u3a

I'm not sure why you're worried about them being unable to decide their own time. If my children came up with some ideas to fill my time I'd quickly shut that down. Now, if they will suddenly want to spend every moment with you, then I can totally appreciate you telling them that's not an option and to find their own entertainment but until that time treat them like the adults they presumably are.

Agree about U3A - it is a brilliant organisation. I go to various groups, and I run classical concert coach trips for them. Something for everyone.

If they don't drive this might be a problem whatever they decide to do or not do.

Why not tell them you are thinking of getting them a sub to a new hobby to celebrate their retirement and they can then tell you if they like the idea and what interests them - it could go horribly wrong if you do not get the right thing!

Oh - and don't worry about them - they can make their own decisions! Maybe they are planning long days of passion - you simply do not know!

My very busy parents have just retired and moved to a tiny village in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, hours and hours away from any family or friends. I think they'll end up bored, but that's their decision. I'm sure they've considered it.

I'm going to retire imminently and if my offspring (or anyone else for that matter) tried to determine how I spend my retirement I would be exceptionally unhappy and annoyed.

Leave them to it. I retired a year ago and I’m never bored. I remember many years ago my mother got a new automatic washing machine and was selling her old twin tub. The man who bought it said he was buying it for his wife who had just retired. His idea was to get rid of their automatic machine so that she could spend more time doing laundry to fill her days. Mum was horrified.

National Trust lifetime membership. They can then tie that into their hobby. I.e. one of my sisters' retired friends has decided to review every NT teashop scone, as a way of seeing parts of the UK they would never have considered.

U3A membership is about £12 a year, not much of a present! DH and I are members, lots of interesting groups to join.

I would think about a separate hobby for each of them as possibly being in each others company 24 hours a day can be difficult. Could encourage them to make own circle of friends.Having said that I would leave them to it to use the time as THEY want

@wisbech many if not most NT properties are fiendishly difficult to get to if you don’t drive.

I must admit I worry about this when I retire 😬

Would they enjoy a gym membership. There’s tonnes of retirees at my gym.

All local u3a's are run independently of each other (although all affiliated to the national Third Age Trust) so there's no hard and fast membership fee, or standard range of classes offered. My local one is £20, but with small class fees on top, another I know is £50 but I think that covers everything. .

I’m aiming to retire in a couple of years, and starting to think about what my plans for just plain living will be.

They are my plans.

I might listen to suggestions from my young adult children, but my hackles are up just at the thought of that turning into interference.

Back off.

I remember trying to get my
Mum Into pottery

How she laughed and has mocked me about it ever since

Back off and let them figure out what they want to do. They are able minded adults