Moving is often quite overwhelming. You have to change your address, neighborhood, city, sometimes even a state. It is quite stressful even for an adult to move since you have to organize an entire move, find long distance movers Florida, and complete all of your everyday chores. If this all is stressful for you, can you imagine how your children feel? Everything will seem much more dramatic to them, especially if they see you are struggling. For this reason, you should help your kids cope with moving and here is how to do it.
Before the move
Moving is a long process. You should start preparing at least two to three months in advance, especially during the summer when there is a higher demand for Coral Springs movers. These two or three months will take its toll on you. Therefore, there is no point in hiding your decision to move. You should talk to your kids about the move. The whole family should gather so you can discuss your decision together. Be prepared for outbursts. Some children will not react well to the news, especially if this means they have to change school mid-semester. However, do not overreact as well. But rather, be calm. Take your kids’ feelings into consideration. You should try to reason with your children. Ask them about their concerns and why they are opposed to the idea of moving. You should be able to reach a compromise through conversation.
Help your kids cope with moving by taking care of yourself
A stressed parent means a stressed child. You cannot help your kids to cope with moving if you are all over the place. For this reason, organize your time wisely. Make a checklist for your relocation. Write down all the tasks you have to complete. Then, see how many days you will need to finish a certain task. Be as detailed as possible. This way you can spend time with your children and avoid stressing too much about the relocation. In addition to this, your health should your priority as well. You cannot deal with stress, your job, your children, and complete all the moving tasks if you are exhausted. Therefore, do not spend your nights packing, but rather sleep. If you start packing your items a couple of months in advance, you will barely notice all the workload and you will not be exhausted.
Explain to your kids what to expect
If this is the first time moving with your children, then you should explain what it means to move. This means you should have your kids learn about the new city. Let them pick the new room. In addition to this, take a walk around your new neighborhood. See the new playground. Let your kids play. Maybe they will meet new friends so they will get excited about the move. Apart from your neighborhood, you can explore your new town. Take them to a lovely restaurant and bakery. Eat some delicious cake and pastries. Do not forget to visit a couple of sports clubs if your child plays sports. You have to show your children that moving is not a negative thing, but rather, it has many benefits. It is important to show all the benefits instead of only talking about them.
Help your kids to cope with moving by honoring their grief
They might be little, but kids should express their sadness because they will be leaving their familiar house. For this reason, here is what you should do in order to help them.
- Let them read a couple of children’s books about moving, such as Moving House, by Anne Civardi and Michelle Bates, illustrated by Stephen Cartwright and We’re Moving, by Heather Maisner, illustrated by Kristina Stephenson
- Make sure to visit their friends, exchange contacts
- You can visit their favorite places in your old city/neighborhood
- Organize a goodbye party and let them invite all the friends
- If they are teenagers, then let them attend parties or even help them organize a trip with their friends for the weekend
- Prepare their favorite food and talk about your feeling during the dinner
- Let your children stay with them for a couple of days if they are close to their grandparents
Give your kids some control over the relocation
How much control you will give to your kids depends on their age. If they are really small, they cannot help much. However, if they are teenagers and older, then they can help you immensely. For this reason, here are a couple of suggestions. First, let your children decide about the color of their new room. In addition to this, they can help you arrange furniture in their new room. Then, they can help you with decluttering your home before the move. Let them choose which toys will stay and which you can sell or donate. Next, your kids can be responsible for packing their own rooms if they are old enough to do this. Let them pick labels for their moving boxes. Lastly, you can let your kids plan your travel with you. You can visit some interesting places on your way to your new home.
Help your kids to cope with moving even after the relocation
The move is not over when you reach your new house, especially when you are moving with your kids. For this reason, set up your kids’ room first. You can leave the unpacking to them. Next, plan some fun activities to do together, such as going out to eat pizza, visit playgrounds, take them to see a new movie, etc. In addition to this, make sure to talk to them. Listen to their worries and try to find a solution together. Later, you can organize a trip to your old neighborhood so your kids can meet with their old friends. Have patience when moving with kids.