While moving is never particularly enjoyable for anyone, if you are trying to manage a family move with a child who’s resistant to the idea of moving, this can make things even more challenging. In addition to trying to figure out how to make your residential move happen and set up your new life in this new home, you also have to navigate the uncharted waters of your child and all the emotions they’re feeling.
To help make this hurdle a little easier to get over, here are three tips for dealing with a child who’s resistant to your upcoming move.
Set Aside Time For Your Child To Express Their Feelings
In all of your stress to get your move handled, you may have found yourself leaving your child slightly on their own emotionally to work through their negative attitude toward your move. However, this may not prove to give you the results you want.
As another strategy, you may want to try setting aside a time that your child can express their feelings, either to you or to someone else. Let them say everything that you’re thinking or feeling, cry if they want to, get upset and just let their emotions out. If they want to say something negative, have it done in this setting. Then, once they’ve ready, have them rejoin the family and try to move forward. Sometimes, just having this safe space as an outlet can help them actually begin to work through what they’re feeling and process the reality of your upcoming move.
Validate Their Concerns
In an effort to get your child more onboard with your move, it’s possible that your child could feel like you’re not validating their feelings or concerns about the move. So the next time they start to complain about the move, try to join them in their misery for a moment or two. Seeing that you too will miss certain things about your home or are worried about finding your place in their new community can help them feel like you’re both on the same side rather than on opposite teams.
Take Away Fear Of The Unknown
Sometimes, the underlying issue that makes kids resistant to a move is that they’re really just scared of the unknown that comes with starting a life somewhere new.
To help them overcome this, you should attempt to take away this fear of the unknown by exposing them to their new life as much as possible prior to the move. If you’re able, go visit your new home, walk around your new neighborhood, sign up for a class or sport, or go to an event at their new school. Seeing these places and meeting these people could help them see that there’s really nothing to be afraid of about your upcoming move.
If you’re going to be moving soon and you have a child that’s still not onboard, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you all work through this.
