Children are temperamental creatures. As adults, we often forget what it was like to be a child and so find it quite hard to empathise with how our little ones feel. When you decide to move home, you are also deciding that your children will move home. Your children get no say in this massive decision, yet they have to uproot their life and move to a new place.
It is vital that you break the news to your children before you have started making plans. It wouldn’t be fair if the first your children heard about the move was when they were sitting in an estate agents in Sutton in Ashfield. You have to give your family proper warning. A year is preferable, as this will give your children time to become accustomed to the notion of moving home. Get them involved the moment you decide that moving is the right thing to do. Here are some of the remarkable ways that moving home will impact your children’s lives.
Your Children Will Feel Homesick (Even Though They Are With You)
You might think that your children can only get homesick when they are away from you, but this is not the case. Children can feel just as homesick when they leave their first home. A child’s first home has a special place in a child’s memory. No one ever forgets the first house in which they grew up. Leaving the nest too soon (even if it is with you and the family) can mean your child feels lost and homesick. The house they grew up in holds a certain level of comfort for your child and breaking them away from that will make them nervous.
Try to make your child feel more at home in your new abode by getting the new house in a closed community with family homes and surrounding areas available for kids (learn more online about such options). It can help ease your kids into the new environment and make friends easily. You can also provide your kids an opportunity to decorate their new bedroom and allow them to choose the colors. When your child has made their new room personal, they will start to settle into their new home.
Your Children Might Struggle To Make New Friends
If your child had a close group of friends at their previous home, they might find it hard to make friends when they move. Children feel loyal to their first group of friends and will end up comparing any new friends to their old friends. Your child may not want to make new friends in the hope that you will see how unhappy they are and move back to your old home. Of course, that won’t happen, but children think in irrational ways and might believe that they can change your mind.
Encourage your children to invite new friends to your home. Tell them that they can have sleepovers and parties. Do everything that you can to ensure your children settle into a social circle.
Your Children May Resent You For Moving
The worst thing a parent has to deal with is their child resenting them. When you move home, you have decided to put yourself first. There is nothing wrong with your decision. You should prepare yourself for your children’s reaction. Your children may blame you for them having to move home. This resentment often results in children acting out against their parents and rebelling. You need to be ready in case this happens. If your children are teenagers, they will vocalise their resentment. Phrases such as “You ruined my life” and “I hate you” are ones that you should get used to for at least a month or two.
Learn to talk on a neutral level with your children. Explain to them why you decided to move and how moving has helped the family. The worst thing you can do when your children rebel is treat them like children. Talk to them as you would an adult, and their reaction might even surprise you.
