ListingLife
NOV 2009"Mommy, I Don't Want a New House": Helping Kids Move
By Karen Alley
If you’re starting the moving process and have young children, this is probably a familiar refrain. Moving can cause a family a lot of stress, and often we forget that our children feel this stress, as well, and sometimes create their own.
It’s important to take time out from the hectic moving schedule and listen to your kids and let them know that you understand their perspective on things. For many children, the house they’re living in is the only one they’ve ever known. Their room is their safe haven, and the thought of leaving it behind can be unsettling, to say the least.
Luckily there are a few things that you can do with your kids to help make the transition an easier one and help them look forward to life in a new home.
- In addition to listening to your children’s hopes and fears, keep the lines of communication open about the moving process and inform them as much as possible about the steps that you’re taking.
- Pack a special box of your children’s favorite possessions, such as stuffed animals, posters, photos or CDs. Label it with their name and make sure that it’s one of the first boxes out of the moving truck.
- Help your children say good-bye to their friends by getting them an address book to collect street and e-mail addresses.
- Buy a disposable camera to take pictures of your family’s old house and the new one, then create an album or scrapbook from the photos.
