Moving With the Family

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Moving With the Family

Moving alone is stress enough, but moving with the family is a different ordeal altogether. Not only is there more things to pack, but more people to adjust to the move and more emotional reactions. On one hand, it helps to know that while your whole life is in transit — especially when moving to another state — at least you’re with the people most important to you. However, it can be a challenge to prepare the whole family for a move. Here are some tips for a smoother process.

Talk Things Through

Moving to another region or state is especially difficult for kids. They have all their school and their friends here, and it can be hard starting over in a new place at that age. Kids also hate to feel like they’re being frozen out of decisions that affect them. So before you start packing, and ideally as soon as you can, sit down with the whole family and talk about the move. Explain why you have to move and where you’re going. Invite the kids to ask their own questions. Keeping communication open throughout the move will help everyone to get along.

Involve the Whole Family in the Home-Buying Process

If you have older kids, don’t neglect their opinion on where they’d like to live. Instead, involve them in the choice. Maybe you can’t take them with you on the house hunt, so make sure you take lots of pictures for them. When you get home, sit down again and discuss the choices. Get the whole family’s opinions before making an offer. You may not all agree, but it will be better to involve everyone. You can also show the kids which room would be theirs, and discuss how they’d like to decorate their room. This will help them to not only accept the move, but even feel excited about it.

Declutter Together

Decluttering is an inevitable, important part of moving. Never is it more apparent how much in your home you don’t use until it’s time to pack everything. But this may be your child’s first time moving, and they might not be ready to let go of the toy truck they haven’t played with in three years. Go through the house together as a family. Make a pile for things to keep, things to toss, and things to give away. It’s important to remind the kids that they don’t have to get rid of everything. They can keep their favorite toys, blankets, or dresses. Set a benchmark perhaps: if it hasn’t been used in a year, toss it. Make a game of it to keep the interest of younger kids. And the kids should see you tossing your old clutter, too, to lead the example.

If you’re moving as a family, the whole family should be involved. That way, you’ll keep the bickering and stress to a minimum. When you get to your new house, reward yourself by dropping the stuff out and then going out to dinner together. Finally, make sure you have an expert realtor who can help your whole family get the most from their move.