how to convince yankee mother-in-law about Austin (Howe: house, living)

[love roses]

kiacook makes some good points.

[mimimomx3]

Is she old or infirm? I guess as a tennis instructor, probably not. Why not just move and let her decide on her own? Why is it essential she move?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

Is she old or infirm? I guess as a tennis instructor, probably not. Why not just move and let her decide on her own? Why is it essential she move?

^^ Yup. Let her stay where she is happy. If she says she would have moved to CA or FL, she's got a view of Texas that isn't going to change because of your convincing... then again, she may never had intended to follow you to CA or FL, but said that because she knew you'd never actually move to those places (for whatever reason)... MILs can be smart!

[readymade]

I moved to LA (from Boston) and tried to convince my mom to move there. She (understandably) didn't want to leave her friends, family, & job. Then I moved to Ventura, CA. I was CONVINCED my mom would love it there, and I tried to get her to move. Again, no. Then I moved to Austin and talked it up trying to get her to move. No dice.

Now I'M most likely moving back to Boston. (I'm pregnant, too, and I realized that I don't want to raise my kid without the support, love, and nearness of my family. I miss them.)

Also? FYI, you probably can't play tennis year round here unless you don't mind playing in 100+ degree weather. That's another reason I'm moving back... I figured if I'm going to be in unbearable weather... it might as well be in Boston near my family. I haven't been able to be outside for more than 10 minutes (just STANDING around, mind you) for several weeks.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by readymade

I moved to LA (from Boston) and tried to convince my mom to move there. She (understandably) didn't want to leave her friends, family, & job. Then I moved to Ventura, CA. I was CONVINCED my mom would love it there, and I tried to get her to move. Again, no. Then I moved to Austin and talked it up trying to get her to move. No dice.

Now I'M most likely moving back to Boston. (I'm pregnant, too, and I realized that I don't want to raise my kid without the support, love, and nearness of my family. I miss them.)

Also? FYI, you probably can't play tennis year round here unless you don't mind playing in 100+ degree weather. That's another reason I'm moving back... I figured if I'm going to be in unbearable weather... it might as well be in Boston near my family. I haven't been able to be outside for more than 10 minutes (just STANDING around, mind you) for several weeks.

Well, congratulations on your pregnancy. Best of luck to you.

[love roses]

yes, congrats

[doctorjef]

Your MIL might really find she has a problem with the Texas heat. That is something that is objective, not a subjective prejudice. It can be harder on an older person, especially I imagine on one who has never lived in that kind of summertime heat before. Even if she's convinced otherwise about Austin, she could find she can't abide the heat. Just a caution there.

As to convincing her, what I would tell your MIL is that Austin is like nowhere else in Texas, has a wonderful quality of life and some beautiful vistas, and is from my POV the only place to live in TX (I know loads of fellow Texans disagree with me about that, but that's my view).

I love Austin, even though I will probably never live there or in Texas again unless I become widowed -- as Robt Frost said, home is where, when you have nowhere else to go, they have to take you in.

[loves2read]

John Newcombe tennis resort outside New Braunfels...

[readymade]

Originally Posted by love roses

yes, congrats

awww... thanks! We're really excited about it.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by readymade

I moved to LA (from Boston) and tried to convince my mom to move there. She (understandably) didn't want to leave her friends, family, & job. Then I moved to Ventura, CA. I was CONVINCED my mom would love it there, and I tried to get her to move. Again, no. Then I moved to Austin and talked it up trying to get her to move. No dice.

Now I'M most likely moving back to Boston. (I'm pregnant, too, and I realized that I don't want to raise my kid without the support, love, and nearness of my family. I miss them.)

Also? FYI, you probably can't play tennis year round here unless you don't mind playing in 100+ degree weather. That's another reason I'm moving back... I figured if I'm going to be in unbearable weather... it might as well be in Boston near my family. I haven't been able to be outside for more than 10 minutes (just STANDING around, mind you) for several weeks.

How long have you been down here?

I ended up moving back to Seattle to be closer to family and what do you know, I am back in Austin again. Maybe your family is different than mine, but what I found was that I really didn't get much help with my baby and the cost of living here made it much easier to raise a family so we came back. It turns out that my friends down here would have been more help. But stuff like that obviously varies with individual circumstances.

Good luck to you.