Moving With Children

MOVING WITH CHILDREN

Moving With Children can be a true challenge and a serious test for everyone involved with the move. When the move involves children, you can expect relocation challenges to increase in number and become more serious.

A move often proves to be disruptive for the natural flow of things within a family, and for children, it can even be traumatic. One thing is clear, children will need extra care and special attention during that transitional period.

To help you manage your move-related stress levels, to keep your sanity and to keep your children safe and happy throughout the move we will provide you with a few tips for your upcoming relocation.

DISCUSS THE MOVE WITH YOUR CHILDREN:
When moving with children, one of the first things you should do is discuss the move with them, and all of the changes that will be coming with it. It is important you do this without delay, that is as soon as the move just becomes a matter of time.

To not tell your children about the move until the last minute would be a mistake as your young ones will need some time to process the inevitable transition from their current lifestyle to their new one.

Naturally, once you inform your kids that you will be moving, they will have tons of questions about that future change. So be prepared with patience and do your best to answer their questions fully and honestly.

ERASE YOUR CHILDREN’S BIGGEST FEARS AND WORRIES

Sometimes moving with children can be rather challenging, especially if you are not sure how to help your children cope with the anxiety that comes with a move. Unless your children are very young, you can’t just tell them that you are taking them away from their friends and school and everything else that they have known for years and expect them to accept that life change with smiles on their faces.

Depending on their ages, your children will have different fears and worries when it comes to moving. Babies will usually not be affected by the move as they will be too young to understand what is going on. Toddlers may get stressed out and their biggest fear will be the fear of being left behind.

For school-age kids and teens, changing schools and moving away from their friends, which automatically implies having to make new friends in the new destination will be their biggest
worries. Address those fears promptly and try to ease them in the best possible way. One good way to do that is to focus on all the positive aspects of the move. All the things your children will gain and win as a direct result of the relocation.

MAKE AN EFFORT TO KEEP YOUR KIDS ROUTINE UNCHANGED
The thing to remember here is that, as a rule, children thrive on routine and familiarity. They tend to find comfort in the well-established surroundings and the way things have been done prior to moving preparations. And now when they see those cardboard boxes scattered around the house and feel the tension in the air, your kids may get anxious and fearful of what the change will mean for them.

Also, try to keep a positive attitude about the upcoming move. During highly transitional times the parents’ moods and attitudes will definitely affect their children as well since the little ones will be looking for reassurance and support.

HAVE YOUR KIDS HELP WITH THE MOVE
If your children are old enough, you should definitely get them involved in the moving process by asking them to help out with whatever they can. This way they will feel that they are part of the family team and know they are contributing to the success of the entire relocation process. Besides you can definitely use their help with the overwhelming number of move-related tasks.
Show your children extra love and support during this chaotic time and it will all work out in the end.