Moving with Kids

Moving can be a very exciting and fun time while others consider moving a stressful and difficult experience. Have you ever wondered though, how moving can affect your children? It can be a lot harder for younger kids to understand moving and leaving everything they know. With many years of Real Estate experience here are some tips I have found very useful to help your children deal with moving.

Start by making a scrapbook of photographs of the old home, neighborhood, school, church, friends, family and going away parties. Assure them that you won't forget their friends. Have a good-bye party where their friends autograph a t-shirt and write their addresses on index cards. Have your children hand out goodbye notes with their new address as well. These tips show them that you are just moving houses/towns not lifestyles and will help them feel more secure with the transition.

Make sure you keep talking to them about what's going on. Young children and busy teenagers are not always paying attention when you tell them important information plus most likely they want to know what's going on. If you can, take them the home you've purchased. If this cannot be done, ask for a video or photographs so you can show your child where they are going and that there is nothing "scary" about it. Involve your children when communicating your expectations, goals, wants and needs. Picking out their rooms or planning on where their furniture & toys are going to go can also help your child feel more involved

Lastly, I highly recommend avoiding moving during the school year. It can be very tough to start a new school in the middle of the year. Ideally, move 1-3 months before a new school year begins. Also do not put children, even teenagers, in charge of preparing, moving, or keeping track of pets.

I hope these tips can help you and your families have a fun and easy move!


And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.
www.MichaelCarusoRealEstate.com
Best regards,
Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CLHMS CRB CRS GREEN GRI
Past President, Orange County Association of Realtors (949) 753-7900