{"id":414,"date":"2026-05-12T10:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=414"},"modified":"2026-05-12T10:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:35:53","slug":"asking-eric-instead-of-traveling-extensively-should-we-help-our-kids-financially","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=414","title":{"rendered":"Asking Eric: Instead of traveling extensively, should we help our kids financially?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Eric<\/strong>: My husband and I retired a little over three years ago. We both saved by working very hard all our lives so we can retire and travel.<\/p>\n

Read more Osceola teacher named finalist for Florida\u2019s Teacher of the Year award<\/a><\/p>\n

We started to travel often and are enjoying it very much, except I feel guilty when talking to our two adult children who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. They don\u2019t say anything negative to us, but I just feel they think instead of us traveling extensively, why don\u2019t we help them financially?<\/p>\n

Should<\/em> we try to help them financially? We are not rich, but our financial adviser said we should be in good shape even with our travels if we stay on budget.<\/p>\n

I try to not speak too much about each trip, so I don\u2019t \u201crub it in\u201d that we are financially stable when each of them is not so.<\/p>\n

How do I get my mind in a place where I don\u2019t feel guilty about our travels and financial stability?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Retired Guilty Parents<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Parents:<\/strong> It sounds like the guilt is coming from a narrative that\u2019s playing in your mind which may not match what\u2019s going on in your children\u2019s minds.<\/p>\n

We all do this sometimes. It\u2019s natural to make an educated or empathetic guess. But one of the gifts we can give ourselves and others is saying \u201cthis is the story that\u2019s in my head; does it match what\u2019s in yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

So, ask your children if your travel is creating resentment. Tell them about your concerns for them and then listen to the answer. They may not be thinking about this in the same way at all. They may be happy that, after all your work and your sacrifice, you\u2019re able to enjoy your time. Indeed, hearing about your trips could bring them a lot of joy.<\/p>\n

Think about how you might feel if the positions were reversed. Knowing that your children are seeing the world and making good use of their time might be a bright spot for you and might make you feel better about whatever is happening in your life.<\/p>\n

Surely there was a time earlier in your life when your financial picture wasn\u2019t so stable. Going through it isn\u2019t necessarily a requirement or a rite of passage, but it does happen to many of us. You could be serving as an example for your children of what can come. That would be an invaluable gift.<\/p>\n

Dear Eric<\/strong>: I am a single lady in my 70s with a comfortable and active social life. I am not looking for, but would not turn away from, a nice romance.<\/p>\n

Read more Tiger Woods\u2019 lawyer and prosecutors are set to argue over prescription records in Florida DUI case<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

I have recently met a very nice gentleman who has shown considerable interest in me.<\/p>\n

As far as personality and interests go, I could see us as quite compatible. We have had opportunities to be together in several group activities as well as a few one-on-one activities and we truly enjoy each other\u2019s company.<\/p>\n

The problem lies in his personal hygiene. Quite bluntly, he smells! His clothes aren\u2019t clean and I don\u2019t think he showers daily. It could be that he just kicks up a lot of dirt during the day and doesn\u2019t refresh at home before he goes out for the evening. But it\u2019s definitely a deterrent for me.<\/p>\n

Is it best for me to just keep this friendship at arm\u2019s length? Or is there some way to properly address this issue with him?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Odor Issue<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Issue:<\/strong> A conversation about what\u2019s standing between the two of you might be awkward \u2013 indeed it will probably be at least a little awkward \u2013 but it\u2019s the way to go.<\/p>\n

It would be one thing if you weren\u2019t interested in a relationship. Then your no could be a simple no, and it would behoove this gentleman to accept it and move on. But if this is something you want to pursue, you should say something.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way, communication is going to be the bedrock of any relationship. So, instead of keeping him at arm\u2019s length and leaving him to wonder, you have the opportunity to clue him in on your experience and ask for what you need.<\/p>\n

You might start by saying that you don\u2019t mean to offend him and you respect his personal choice, but you want to share what\u2019s keeping you from being more serious with him. Use \u201cI\u201d statements to talk about your experience with odors and your relationship to hygiene.<\/p>\n

I encourage you to push through the awkwardness, even if it doesn\u2019t result in a romantic relationship. His lack of hygiene could indicate a deeper issue or, at the very least, an opportunity for him to be healthier. It might be difficult for him to hear, but it could be ultimately good for him to know that someone cares enough to say something.<\/p>\n

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more PGA Championship at Aronimink is largely about the big slopes on big greens<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are financially stable and love to travel, but each of our kids live paycheck-to-paycheck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nAsking Eric: Instead of traveling extensively, should we help our kids financially? - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=414\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asking Eric: Instead of traveling extensively, should we help our kids financially? - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We are financially stable and love to travel, but each of our kids live paycheck-to-paycheck.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=414\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T10:35:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ccac55769616238d9aeb193121c87e2.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"629\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Asking Eric: Instead of traveling extensively, should we help our kids financially?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T10:35:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414\"},\"wordCount\":912,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/3ccac55769616238d9aeb193121c87e2.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=414\",\"name\":\"Asking Eric: Instead of traveling extensively, should we help our kids financially? 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