On the Move

Helping Children Adjust to Moving and Relocation

By Carma Haley

Moving can be both exciting and stressful for the entire family. From selling your home, scheduling the move and packing to finding a new home, new friends and unpacking, the experience of moving or relocating can be full of emotions.

But just as moving can be stressful for adults, children oftentimes find moving a time of despair and sadness rather then excitement. But if planned in advance, handled with care and sensitivity and by adding a few "tricks" to the situation, parents can decrease the stress and help their children enjoy the transition from the old to the new.

Families move for various reasons. Whether because of employment, the need for a bigger house or wanting to move closer to family, the reasons for moving are just as diverse as the families that do it. Parents may feel they want to relocate their kids to a different neighborhood, a better school system or even into or out of a city or country setting. However, parents may want to consider the children, as well as the effects relocation can have upon them, when considering a move.

"I hate to admit that I have been the gypsy queen as far as relocating," says Michelle Turner of Butler, Pa. "I never had roots as a child and I guess I never really thought about all the moves and how they would affect my daughter. Thankfully most of them were while she was small, before she started school."

Discussing a potential move with children is never easy. These types of topics can bring forth a great deal of emotion, for both the parents and the children. Until a move or relocation is decided, parents may want to keep information, or at least the specifics, to themselves.

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