Tips For Telling Your Kids You're Moving

Saturday, May 20, 2017
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Packing up the family and moving is often unavoidable. Sometimes it's a job transfer, the promise of a more appealing climate, the ability to be closer to family that prompt a move. Moving can be emotional for children, especially if they have to move far away from the people they know and love best.

When we returned from Tucson, we talked of eventually moving there. The climate is ideal and the cost of living is so much more reasonable than New Jersey. If we do ever decide to move, we'll need to prepare ourselves for some tears and tantrums along the way, for sure. However, there are ways to minimize the impact a move has on your kids by telling them about it in the right way.Here are some tips for telling your kids you’re moving:


Tell Them as Soon as Possible
Don’t wait until the home removals van pulls up to tell your kids you’re moving. The sooner they know, the better. If you try to keep it from them, they will only end up feeling betrayed and unprepared for what lies ahead. By letting them know shortly after you make the decision, you show your children consideration and give them the time they need to come to terms with the change. You can even give them some tasks and decisions so that they feel empowered during the moving process.

Tell Them How Staying in Touch Will Help
One of the biggest concerns children have about moving is the possibility of losing touch with friends and family. So, when you’re telling them about the move, be quick to point out all the ways they will be able to stay in touch with the people who are important to them, whether that be summer visits, Skype conversations or something else entirely. In this age of technology, staying in touch has never been easier.

Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
When you’re telling the kids about your upcoming move, it might be tempting to tell them that you’ll definitely fly out to see grandma every summer or that they’ll definitely love their new school, but unless you can be 100 percent certain that it will actually happen, DON’T say a word. Making a promise, you can’t keep is likely to backfire on you and can result in tantrums and tears. Your kids might find it harder to trust you in the future, too, which is definitely something you want to avoid.

Choose the Right Time
You should avoid telling your kids you’re about to move at a time when they have other stresses and strains going on. Sure, it’s best to tell them as soon as possible, but if they have an important test coming up, they’re busy preparing for an event, or you don’t have the time to answer all of their questions fully after dropping the bombshell, wait until the timing is better, just don’t leave it too long.

Tell Them About the New School
A big concern for many kids will be their new school , so before you sit down to break the news, do your homework, ensure you know everything there is to know about the new school and let your kids know exactly where they will be going and what they will be doing.

It's possible to soften the blow of moving and help your kids to feel more prepared about the prospect. If you also try to get them excited by pointing out all of the great things about your new neighborhood, they might even be happy about the move from the start.

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