Kudos on your promotion to VP. This hard-earned achievement brings financial rewards, but it also means a move across the country.
Now you need to properly prepare your entire family for the pending office relocation—especially your children. As one of the premier moving companies Michigan residents rely on, All Around Moving & Storage has you covered with kid-friendly advice.
Children require reassurance
Kids can prove resilient during a change. But they also want reassurance in the midst of moving out of state with a Michigan moving company such as All Around Moving & Storage. The way you prepare children for this big event also depends on their ages. Effective approaches differ for preschoolers, school-age children and adolescents.
Generally, the older the child, the more likely he’ll perceive an interstate move as difficult. (Note: This information is intended for families moving for positive reasons on an infrequent basis. More disruptive events—e.g., divorce or families coping with poverty—or the constant uprooting experienced by military families, might impact children differently or more profoundly.)
Children rely on the stability that routine and familiarity provide. The more you can provide during this non-routine and strange time, the better. Keeping kids informed and involving them in the Ann Arbor moving process will help them feel a sense of investment vs. having something imposed on them. The biggest battle probably will be conquering the unknowns surrounding out of state moving.
Quite a few questions
Perhaps the single best thing is to let kids know about a move as early as possible. Don’t spring the idea on them at the 11th hour. The short notice won’t spare them anxiety. The more time they have to think about the concept, the more empowered they’ll be to mentally prepare for a move across the country.
New school? New friends? New room? Kids will have lots of questions and those queries should be encouraged. Let your children know it’s OK to express themselves. Don’t be caught off-guard if they show signs of anger or sadness or fear. Be accepting of various reactions. Reassure young children the whole family will remain together. (Small children sometimes think parents will leave them behind during an interstate move.) Talk regularly about the cross-country move so children treat it as a concrete event that will occur, not an abstract or hypothetical event.
Visualize
Visualizing can prove an essential tool in easing children’s anxiety. If possible, obtain photos of the new school, home and town, so kids form a picture in their minds of what life will be like after the cross-country move. Clinical psychologist Laura Markham, Ph.D., recommends creating for young children a “moving book,” in which captions are glued to move-related photo printouts, then laminated, three-hole punched and placed in a notebook.
This chronicle might start with a family’s current home, then discuss the reason for moving out of state (Dad took a new job) and finish up with anticipated fun activities near the family’s new home. The editor of Ahaparenting.com, Dr. Markham advises reading the “moving book” to children early on in the moving process. Again, the overall idea is to ease into the new move, not make an abrupt change.
Last in, first out
Involving kids in the actual packing process also will prove helpful. If you’re packing your items instead of leaving that work to the professional movers Ann Arbor trusts (All Around Moving & Storage), inform your children that the toys or dolls being placed in that cardboard box are being sent to your new home.
Encourage them to write their names on boxes and even decorate them. These activities keep the little ones busy. Plus, children will feel good knowing their boxes will stand out and quickly be found once you’ve moved into your new home.
Request your moving company place the children’s items last on the moving truck. That way they’ll be unloaded first at your destination. Setting up the children’s rooms right away creates a safe haven while you’re busy unpacking and placing items throughout the rest of your home.
While clearing the clutter before the cross-country move certainly can be advantageous, sometimes kids will react negatively to giving up items. Tread lightly here. Don’t force the issue. Keeping a child’s familiar possessions, such as bedroom furniture, might help them settle into their new home. Once the child feels secure, then updating with a new bed and dresser would be OK.
Connect across the miles
The “friendship factor” can prove a tough one for teens. Explain to your adolescent you’ll also be working to stay close with family and friends across the miles. Discuss when a return trip might be a possibility. Today’s technology permits teens to use online tools, such as Skype, to stay connected to lifelong friends. This contact might ease the separation blues. Give teens and younger children the opportunity to tell friends and family members “goodbye” in a calm, unhurried setting. That’s another reason why planning ahead is one of the best ways to move across the country.
Of course, office relocation-related moves don’t always land on neat-and-tidy dates, either, such as the start or end of a school year. Prom or concert schedules might conflict with your interstate move with All Around Moving & Storage. If an event is purely social, it might have to be lost to the cause. However, should the move date with your Ann Arbor movers coincide with a high-school student’s important exam, ACT or SAT, you might let your teen to stay behind with a relative until after such a significant event.
Seeking movers in Michigan who take the utmost pride in their work? Look no further than All Around Moving & Storage, your go-to home mover among Ann Arbor moving companies. Whether you’re seeking to move to or from Grosse Pointe, Troy, Livonia, Dearborn, St. Clair Shores or elsewhere in Michigan, we’re the moving company Michigan residents trust. Contact us today for a FREE moving quote: (734) 941-2280.
