Everybody finds moving home to be daunting to some degree, no matter their age. For kids, however, this is an especially daunting and distressing task. Moving schools, losing friends, being taken out of their comfort zone — for children, moving home can feel like the end of the world.
In order to protect your kids from this kind of plight when you decide to up sticks and move away, it’s essential that you prepare them for the home move as best you can. Here are three ways you can do just that:
Let them play a role in the decision making
If your kids feel like they are just being shepherded around from one place to another against their will, they will be sure to rebel and, thus, make the move far harder than it needs to be for all involved. For this reason, to get them on board with the home move, you have to make them feel like they have some control over it. To make sure this is the case, you simply must allow them to play some sort of a role in the decision-making process.
Whether you and your kids check out Sovereignhills.com.au together to compare houses for sale Port Macquarie, or whether you simply allow them to pick their own rooms in the new home, making your children feel like they have some control over their future will be sure to make them feel more comfortable with the move. As a result, everybody will be a lot happier, and calmer come moving day.
Make sure they know what to expect
Sugar-coating the move will do nobody any favours in the long run. Right from the off, your kids need to know what is in store for them once they move home. Will they have to move schools because it just won’t be feasible for you to get them to their current one every morning? If so, let them know as soon as possible. This will give them more time to come around to the idea.
You should actively try to acclimatise them to their new surroundings, too. If in between sorting out the logistics of your move and packing away all of your worldly belongings, you find yourself with a bit of spare time on your hands, you should take your kids to their new neighbourhood before you all move there. Show them around the place and take them to see their new school. Knowing what to expect going forward will be sure to help your kids prepare for the next stage.
Allow your kids to say goodbye
Chances are, your kids will feel a far greater attachment to your current local area than you do. As a result, moving away will feel like a much bigger deal to them than it does to you. You should acknowledge that this is the case by granting your kids with the chance to say goodbye. Take time out of your busy schedule to take your children to see their friends, go and hang out in their favourite spots one more time, and allow them to let go of their past in their own way.
If you want your move to go off without a hitch, you have to take the above advice and get your kids on board.