A family move should be an exciting adventure, but when youngsters are involved, it can sometimes feel like an overwhelming project. When you move, try keeping these three Ts in mind to insure a positive and enjoyable experience for your family.
Talk to children about the move as soon as you are fairly certain it will occur. Explain the reasons for moving, openly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the move and try to answer questions as honestly and simply as you can.
Listen carefully to what children have to say about the move and share your feelings with them. Moving can be a family adventure, but moments of uncertainty, anger, unhappiness, and fear are common emotional responses for kids. Give your children opportunities to express themselves and let them know that you understand how they feel about the move.
Schedule periodic family meetings to answer questions, share ideas, make plans, and assign responsibilities. Talking together about the move from time to time will help keep you working together.
Teamwork 'Working together as a family team is the most important key to a successful move. Everyone, including youngsters, will be more comfortable and cooperative if they have an active part in the moving process.
Assign children small, specific tasks they can handle, offer encouragement, praise them for their efforts, and be creative in making packing and moving chores enjoyable for all of you. Set clear goals for your tasks, work together on bigger projects, and build in tiny rewards for jobs well done. With a parent's assistance most kids can help in sorting and packing clothes and belongings. Have them decide on items to be discarded, prized possessions to carry with them on the day of the move, and allow them to make reasonable decisions about how they want their rooms arranged and decorated.
Time virtually disappears when you're preparing to move and it vanishes mysteriously as you strive to get your new house in order, But after the work is done, time can drag when you think about the people and places you've left behind or contemplate the process of adjusting to your new surroundings.
To help manage your time, have the kids make a large moving calendar about two months prior to the move to keep you all on schedule. List dates for the completion of important moving tasks in one color, regularly scheduled family appointments in another, and keep I mind that moving can be exhausting and stressful for all of you, so be sure to schedule occasional family fun and relaxation activities in a third color. Then stick to your schedule.
Once you've arrived, don't let unpacking, decorating, and rearranging overwhelm
you. Make sure to take some time for yourself. Set aside blocks of time to
explore your new neighborhood with the kids and plan enjoyable activity time
for the entire family.
Finally, realize that each member of your family will experience different feelings about the move. One may find it exciting, another may have doubts, while a third, usually a teenager, may hate the idea completely. Be sure to give everyone, including yourself, ample time to deal with feeling about leaving behind close friends, a familiar school or a comfortable neighborhood. Individual family members will deal with these emotions on their own personal schedules, but for most, the passage of time will eventually allow feelings of loss to be erased by the adventure of exploring a new community.
By paying close attention to these three Ts when you move, your family will soon be on a successful journey toward transforming your new house into a new home.
