My parents and grown brother live in my hometown, about 15 miles away.  My wife and I have two young children.  My brother also has two kids.

I want my kids to know their grandparents and cousins, but I often wish that I didn't have to see my parents and brother quite so much.  I don't have anything against them, but as a grown man I wish that I could live a more separate life.  I want to shed some of my immediate family's baggage.  I want to distance myself from my hometown.  I want to raise my family in a different way, and it's hard under the continual influence of my parents and brother.  They are good people, but I moved out of the house 18 years ago for a reason.

The kids have brought us all closer in recent years...much too close for comfort at times.  We'd never move, though.  The bond between my kids and their grandparents especially is too strong now.  I just have to suck it up.  Anyone else in this situation?  Advice?

I feel your pain. My wife & I have 2 kids. We live within a 1/2 mile of her parents, her two sisters and husbands ( both have 2 kids each), her brother & his wife (who have 4 kids)her cousin who has one daughter and one of her aunts and uncles. Seriously. They are all great people, but alot of the time the negatives outweigh the positives. We deal with it by interacting with them on our terms. I could go on about it for days. Whatever you do, don't let them come between you and your family. It can suck, but you'll be fine as long as you and your wife are on the same page.

My ideal distance would be a couple hour drive. Short enough for get together's but long enough to prevent the daily visits. I'm about a 27 hour drive from my family and I miss them and their quirks like crazy.

I don't know how old you guys are, but you'll get over it. I'm 41 and 2nd youngest of 8 kids. I used to feel the same way. I have buried my mother and two brother in the past 3 years, and I hope you figure things out while you still can.

I'm sittin' right her listening to classic county music, the kind my mother loved, and the kind I used to bitch about all the time. You'll empathize some day.

  I'm 40 and I am over it. It is what it is. I simply stated to the O.P. that it can be a PITA. The biggest issue with my situation is that all of my wifes relatives who live near us are not the type of people who do not  like face to face confrontation. If they have a problem, they tell everyone in the family, but do not address the person whom they have the issue with. I am the exact opposite, which is why I get along with them all so well. They know I will make it a point to let them know I have a problem(which isn't often) so they basically don't involve me in their little  games. My inlaws are totally cool, it's the siblings that cause all of the bickering issues. We all live so close because my FIL gave us all land in the same area to build houses as a wedding present. Plus he's a contractor so my house was built at cost . The fact that they have never had anything to worry about makes them a little out of touch with reality and I contribute all the BS to not having anything better to do. I have two BIL's that live next door to each other and have kids the same age and they haven't spoken to each other for 3 years, over some BS thing that really doesn't amount to a piss hole in the snow.  They are both good guys who used to be close. I keep telling them that they will be sorry in the long run.

  On the othet hand, my mom and two sisters live about 15-20 minutes down the road and I only talk to them about once a week and see them every week or two.We are all adults, busy at work w/ kids and do not need to be all up in each others business.  I appreciate our time together alot more because I see them less.

   good luck OP