Moving
house with Children....
We stress pre move planning in all removals in this Web site, but at no time
is planning a removal more
important than when children or young adults are involved in a move.
From
the start of a moving process, we wish to point out
two other points to careful planning, consistent communication
and suitable inclusion of family members in a moving
process. Let’s look at some old related removal
points first, and some ideas on how to deal with your
move.
Before school children live in very short time frames, dominated usually by
either instant or shortly. By contrast, school children from 2 and up are very
aware of weeks and months, holidays and breaks. Young children begin to see
their world beyond the family by sleep overs, sports and other activities.
By 4th or 5th birthdays, close same gender friendships have formed and many
children are beginning to establish their own identity with academic, social,
sports or club activities, achievements and relationships.
In
spite of the evidence that elementary aged children
who have moved before
are generally better adjusted and more adaptable to
change than children who have never moved, you can
expect some initial resistance to a move from your
well socialized children. By expecting resistance you
can plan on dealing with it.
Teenagers,
especially those of high school age or older, are likely
to be marginaly more disturbed by the thought of changing
their social, sports or academic interests, for the
family removal. Public and private high schools with
good standings and a high annual percentage of college
acceptances, automatically bring pride and promise
within their students. Without suitable information
on there school to which they are moving too, some
students fear the moving process may hurt their chance
for admission to the school of their choice.
Children
of all ages are apt to use “black or white” thinking
relating to the removal, especially if they have a
large circle of established friends. Moving will be
tuff when children have few or no close friends nearby.
What
you should tell them and when! Experts recommend an
early announcement of the move to all family members
to provide each person with enough time to adjust to
the idea.
Parents
need to know enough about the new area or neighborhood
to properly answer any important questions from their
children. Parents research immediately sports, academic,
religious, and community-related questions based on
the activities in which your children are currently
doing. What are the schools like and where might they
be located in relation to your new home or neighborhood.
Children
need to feel a sense of stability and purpose in the
new house. Why are we moving? How will the move benefit
the me? Are common questions they ask. Sure, the company
relocated Dad or Mom, but why do the kids have to move
as a result of a relocation?
Children
also need to get stuck into the moving process
and be part of the family’s move. A place to
start is feelings. Tell them yours first, honestly
and encourage them to share their feelings no matter
whether good or not so good. Most of all, be truthfull.
Older
children need to know about different things in the
new town rather than their younger children. Find a
way and an good time to answer all the questions each
child may have along with time for the child to respond
with their own thoughts about the move. Many councils
may well provide printed leaflets on school, towns,
sporting opportunities and maps of the local countryside.
Ask for all leaflets offered and make them available
to all the children.
When
your children know about the move, your move-related
job is not over, but has just Started. Expect mixed
reactions from your children and over time, they will
tell their friends and begin to think or fantasize
about their new house. Sessions in which children talk
about the move among themselves and sort out among
other things the reasons why you are making the move,
why the family is moving, what are its main advantages
and opportunities are.
when
will each of the move related events take place and
how the children can stay connected with their current
friends.
One
way to get suitable participation from your children
is to involve them in all the removal related decisions.
House hunting in the new area; room choosing, color
schemes, what to throw away and pre-pack, and how;
packing special toys, marking special boxe for their
own bedroom, and the change of address cards or label
for children to give to their old friends. Take lots
of pictures inside and outside the new house for decorating,
furnishing, remodeling and other pre move planning
ideas. Your children will be happy to share pictures
of their new home with their friends, helping them
to become happy about being moved.
Experts
tell mixed stories about the best time of year to move.
Many more experienced movers have completed house sale
during the summer months to take full advantage of
the school holidays. But summer is not always the best
time to move. Moves made during the school year have
advantages also. Pre-teens and teenagers might be put
straight away into their new school and make friends
very quickly. When summer holiday comes, teens already
have new friends to enjoy their summer holidays.
Think
about all the family members as you answer the question
when to move. Learn about the school schedule in your
new area. By all means make sure current school reports
are requested in time for completion and transfer before
your children enter their new schools.
All
members should have their medical records to follow
them to the new doctot but with children, availability
of medical records is much more important, especially
for schools entry policy. Ask your current doctor to
refer you to a doctor in your new area. And why not
take copies of all of your medical records with you
in a well marked pack or file. Dont forget to check
the moving charts for reminders of key actions and
decisions you will want to make before the removals day.
We
also have a guide for moving
house with pets. click here
