Moving is an incredibly stressful process, but it is an experience that you have to go through. When your family has outgrown your current house or your house is no longer suited to your lifestyle, it is time to build a home someplace else.
As a parent, in between negotiating with a mortgage broker and contacting moving companies, you also need to assist your child who might panic over this significant life change. How do you talk to them about moving and quell their fears? When you finally arrived in your new home, how do you help them settle?
Tell Your Kids Early
The worst thing that you can do before a move is to wait until the last minute to tell your child. You should not just ask them to pack when the movers arrive.
Moving is a huge decision, and, as a family, everyone should be involved in it, including your kids. One of the most common questions that children ask their parents before a move is when the decision was made. It would make them feel at ease, knowing that they are the first ones to know.
Telling your kids early will also allow them to process the news and be better prepared, mentally and emotionally, when moving day arrives. Do not announce the move at a restaurant or somewhere public. They should hear about it at home where they feel most comfortable.
Be Honest
Your kids will have so many questions about the moving process, your new home, and what life will be like in the new place. You need to be ready for a discussion. Answer all their questions to dispel any feelings of uncertainty, which will only create anxiety and fear. Explain why you have to move to a new place.
Be positive. Show photos of the house if it is somewhere far away, and tell them about what the town is like. However, do not exaggerate to create excitement. You have to create realistic expectations. Do not make promises that you cannot keep.
Take a Tour
Once you get to the new house, take a tour of the whole place. Look at every room and describe what activities will happen in each one once you have settled in.
Let your children explore the house on their own. Encourage them to play hide-and-seek while the adults unpack to make them feel more comfortable.
Get Back to Your Routine
Follow the routines you have established in your own home. Routines ground you and remind you that life goes on. Make the bedtime and mealtime consistent. If you used to go to the park every morning or go grocery shopping every weekend, do those things, too, in your new town.
A move is a considerable change that might take a little while to get used to. If you do not follow a routine or a schedule, your children might feel lost. They would feel as if the move has disrupted their life.
Although there would be a ton of tasks you need to accomplish before and after the move, you should set aside time to help your kids. Moving is a tough process to go through, but it might be harder for the young members of the family. Communicate to them as much as you can and assure them that everything will be alright.
