Children and moving: a few suggestions to help.
Are you planning a move in the near future and is your child upset?
You could be very happy about this move and your child be very upset. This means a major loss to the child, a move to a new home, a new neighborhood, new church, new school, etc. but most of all he will need to make new friends and sadly move away from the friends he has now. He may feel really comfortable at this point in his environment and
may be really fearful of the future. Now don't be upset as most children have these emotions to some degree. You'll have to try to help him adjust by being supportive, loving and most of all understanding.
Try to maintain all the family routines the best you can even while preparing for the move,have the simple things the same, say the family meal time, a regular bedtime routine as this can be very comforting to the child. As you plan the move tell him how he might fix up and change around the furniture in his room, perhaps you can afford a new bedspread and curtains to change the new room in the new home. Try to have the new bedroom a really special place to look forward to after the move.
Talk to him about his feelings of leaving his old home, and his old friends, allow him to just talk it out with you, and no matter what don't be mad when he just insists he is not happy about the move. Don't get defensive when he makes harsh comments as I would think is perfectly normal with
the impending move. Naturally he will blame you for ruining his life, but remember that will all change, just will take time. Try to put yourself in his place and think about how upsetting it would be to you, explain to him that you are also leaving your old friends and neighbors and you will also be sad but that you'll be writing and staying in touch. Help him to face the future and then move past those feelings. Tell him about how excited you are about the new future in the new home, about meeting new friends.
Tell him that he can even have the new friends over to the new home, that is if it is close enough, if not encourage him to write or even once in awhile call his old friends to keep in touch. Tell him he'll be having new friends, and that you have noticed a few children in the new neighborhood that are his age and probably will be in the same classrooms at the new school.
Give him tasks to get ready for the move, in other words keep him a little busy, packing his toys, books, etc. Make the jobs interesting if possible.
I would also pack his room last if possible to allow him to feel at home a little while longer.
Most of all I would advise you to stay positive and upbeat about the new move, sure if you are very stressed and down about the new move yourself this will carry on to your child and you don't want him to be unhappy just because you are. In time you and your child will surely adjust to
the new home.
