Relocating to a new home means a lot of good things—new opportunities, a change of scenery, and making some new friends! But while that’s all well and good, there are also difficulties during any relocation. Especially if it’s something like a last-minute office move to a new city, and you have to relocate your entire family on short notice. Let’s face it, even when you’ve got ample time to plan out your relocation, it’s not easy to prepare your kids for an upcoming move. Indeed, children are sensitive, which is why you need to tread carefully. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some useful advice for you on that very issue!
Prepare your kids for an upcoming move on time
As you’ll soon realize, moving stress is not something people make up. Sure, you may think it’s not an issue before actually moving yourself, but pretty soon, you’ll realize how difficult this period is emotionally. Of course, that’s not unusual or illogical—that’s how it is for everyone. Think about it, moving means making big changes to your daily routines and the way you live your life in general. Really, you’re changing the most intimate aspects of your life, which is why you need to prepare your kids for an upcoming move on time.
And don’t make the mistake of thinking your children can easily cope with this because they’re smart! It doesn’t matter how developed they are on an intellectual level—emotionally, they’re still developing, so you need to be careful. You must not underestimate their need for emotional guidance in this period. Especially if you’re moving across long distances; that’s a bigger change than moving to a new part of the city. And your children are not equipped to deal with this on their own.
Younger children will need more attention
Also, that goes double if we’re talking about younger kids. When you’re dealing with pre-adolescent children, you’ll need to devote a lot more attention to them if you want to prepare your kids for an upcoming move. Sure, this may prove difficult because, with the relocation coming up and you having more obligations to juggle than ever before, you won’t have much time. But trust us—this is incredibly important.
At this stage in their lives, one thing is certain:kids don’t have a grip on their emotions as much as adults do. In fact, they have a lot less control on an emotional level. Which is why all of the emotional experiences they have resonate much stronger. Just remember how vividly you can still feel some emotional moments from your own childhood. This is precisely why your kids will need your guidance while they go through this big change in their lives. Of course, if you approach this the right way, there’s no reason to worry. There are numerous things you can do to help:
- Inform them about everything
- Devote enough attention
- Stay positive while you prepare your kids for an upcoming move
- Plan out the moving day
Tell your children everything from the start
When you’re planning a relocation, barring some extraordinary circumstances, you usually know about it well in advance. Especially if you’re making a long-distance move, you’ll probably know it weeks, if not even months before. And during most of this period, you may feel the need to shield your kids from the stress of preparing for the moving day. But if you ask us, that’s a mistake. While the initial conversation about moving to a new place may be difficult, the earlier you have it, the more time your children will have to come to terms with the situation. If you give them enough time, they’ll understand and learn to accept the change as something positive.
Give them enough attention
As we’ve already mentioned, if you want to prepare your kids for an upcoming move, you’ll have to show them more attention than usual. And that may very well prove difficult because, during a relocation, you’ve got less free time than ever. Not only do you have a ton of stuff to plan out and complete, but you also have to keep up with your usual schedule. That’s why some moving assistance can come in handy during this period. Hiring a moving company to help you out with the preparations will take a huge load off your shoulders. Consequently, you’ll have the free time you need to aid your kids in accepting the change as something good!
Keep on smiling
In many ways, children mimic their parents. Really, it’s no accident that all of us pick up on our parents’ traits, even when it’s not done consciously. But that also goes on at a deeper, emotional level. Children also react to the way their parents feel. So, if you want to prepare your kids for an upcoming move more easily, make sure you stay positive while you’re moving with kids. Your children will pick up on this and see the process as something positive themselves.
Make a plan for moving day
If you’ve done everything you can to prepare your kids for an upcoming move, there’s only one thing left—dealing with moving day. And no matter how well you’ve handled everything up until now, moving day is bound to get emotional for everyone.
That’s why you need to make the moving day fun for your children. If you’ve got any relatives or friends willing to help you out, you may want your kids to spend the day with them, doing some fun activities. Really, if you can avoid it, the sight of all of their things moved out of your old home may not be something the kids need. Still, if you’ve done everything you can to prepare them up until that point, that won’t be a big issue.
About the Author
Today, we are joined by guest author, Lisa Roberts from Four Winds. Lisa has been writing blog articles for the past 7 years. Although she started her career in the moving industry, she can cover almost any topic, from moving across the globe to everyday lifestyle tips, traveling, marketing, and software-related news. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys running, reading books, and spending time with her dogs, Loo and Sill. As a great lover of life, she finds something practical and useful in every experience, which contributes to her portfolio as well.