What are your kids concerned about?
- Preschool children tend to worry
about being left behind or separated from their parents.
- Kids aged 6 to 12 can be concerned
with how their daily routines will be affected.
- Teenagers are concerned primarily
with fitting in and having their social life disrupted.
Ideas for easing their concerns include:
Communicate with your child about what the new house will be like. Take
them on a visit of the new home and neighborhood, but if you can't, take
lots of pictures or videotape it to make them feel more comfortable with
their future surroundings.
Get information on the schools and
childcare available in your area. If you can, visit the school with your
child and meet some of the teachers.
Try to get your child involved in the
moving process. Have them pack some of their own special belongings, and
decorate the box with stickers and markers. Be sure to keep this box
close at hand during the move.
Make plans together on how to decorate
their new room. You may want to leave their surroundings the same, but
this could also be a great time for change. Maybe let them pick a color
of paint for their new room or a new bed set.
Ask your child what some of the favorite
things are and have them present at the new house.
Most kids will have lots of questions:
Answer them in a positive way and try to understand their fears. Focus
on things for them to look forward to, like a first snow or their own
room!
Starting over in a new place is never
easy. If possible, find pen pals in the new location before you move so
your child will have someone to interact with and learn about the area.
Contacting the local Chamber of Commerce
for pamphlets on the area is another great way for your family to sit
down together and visualize what the new town will be like.
Leaving friends behind may be one of the
harder things your child has to do. Throw a going away party with their
friends and take lots of pictures to make a nice scrapbook for them to
look back on. Give them a stationary set or prestamped cards so they can
stay in touch with friends, too.
Just think, when you relieve the stress
your children are feeling, you reduce your own stress and are able to
focus more on other aspects of your move! |
