Shifting homes can be emotionally disturbing for a child. Children tend to familiarize themselves with their surroundings and develop a deep attachment for it. From their childhood years to adolescence, they’ve grown up playing around the house that they’re asked to leave. Changing addresses is not only a change of setting but the abandonment of a relationship that they shared with their old home.
Why Kids React To Moving Houses
Needless to say, young minds are very impressionable and moving out can affect their wellbeing. Moving far from your old location can also mean changing schools and friends from around the block. It’s important to prepare them for the big transition and not enforce this life-changing decision on them. Naturally, some degree of rebellion and tantrums are expected. Be calm and patient; they’ll eventually come around.
If you make moving out seem more like a reward, they’ll be more likely to move past it and accept the new home as their own. Here are a few tips on how to handle your child if they act up on the issue of moving.
Don’t Hide; Always Share
Contrary to popular belief, children are not as bad with handling major decisions and alarming news as we like to think. True, they’re more sensitive and less mature than adults but that doesn’t affect their ability to process the whole issue of relocation.
In fact, what hurts them more is being kept in the dark until the last moment and bombarded while you might be shielding them from pain. This doesn’t allow them the duly-deserved mourning period for leaving their home, school, friends, and old routine behind. Most of all, they feel unappreciated if an adult considers them too young to handle the news.
Hiding information from them is a bad idea. Engage them in the moving process from the start. This will help familiarize them with the idea of living somewhere else and instill ownership of the decision.
Make the New Home Warm & Welcoming
An important reason why children hate shifting homes is that they don’t want to give on the comfort zone they had created in their old home. This transition can be made easier and less jarring if you recreate part of the old life in the new home.
This can be done by setting up their bedroom just the way it was. They might be especially fond of some toys, action figures, sketches, pictures, accolades, or posters. Make sure to respect their wishes and redesign their room the way they would like it.
Arranging the bed in the same position as earlier can bring back sweet memories of the old home. Having the photo frames hung or set on the dresser just the way they were can make it easier to accept the new room. Above all, be kind to them during this phase and understand that they might not appreciate your efforts immediately.
Stick To The Old Routine
A child who has a loving, close-knitted family cherishes family time above everything. They might gel in with the new peers in school, get acquainted with the new teachers, or even make new friends. But if they’re still unhappy about moving out, it definitely has a lot to do with family life.
If your family has always engaged in rituals and activities that are unique to your household, your child will have developed a fondness for them. Missing out or eliminating them from your routine can leave and unfulfilled void in their life. In order to make their new house feel like home, resume your old routine.
Before you deal with all such parent-problems, you’ll first have to go through the scary packing-problem.
Need help? Efficient Movers Storage LLC is right here!
We have been in the industry as a residential moving company for years, and value our customer experiences the most. We offer licensed and insured services to our clients.
If you’re having troubles with your child about the idea of moving out, let us handle part of the problem for you. We can professionally pack, shift, and assemble all your belongings in the new place. Just give us a heads up if you need moving services in VA and we’ll be there!
