| Moving With Kids
Moving children to another country in addition to another home
and school, can be very unsettling for them
and the whole family. There are several ways in which the disturbances
caused by the move can be reduced:
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• Try to give the children
a positive view of the relocation and some solid reasons for
the purpose of the
move. Remember that children will sense your
feelings and if these are negative feelings towards the
move then this will aid in unsettling feelings
of the child.
• Discuss with the child at his or her own level what the
move will mean for them and how they will be
involved with the move process. Let the child express
his feelings towards the relocation and what his
concerns are.
• Reassure the child and give support as a family unit
during times when the child is showing signs of
depression or withdrawn behavior in relation to
the move.
• When an infant is relocated there should be little impact
on the child providing that the family unit is not
disrupted, routines are kept standard and he is comfortable.
• When a pre-school child is relocated they are likely
to have feelings of fear due to feeling like they may
be left behind or left out. This is especially so when
the packing is going on as his mother will have less time
for him and he will see his belongings and
furniture being packed away. In order to reduce these feelings,
allow the child to pack some of his own belongings
and make sure not to throw any of his 'old' toys away
before the move.
• The school kid will be
concerned about where he is going and how he will fit in to
the new environment.
It is important to reassure him and provide support
through the family unit.
• A teenager may be harder to convince
regarding the positive reasons for the move since he already
has his
network outside the family unit. He needs to identify
ways in which to keep in contact with the friends who
he is leaving behind and also identify new groups or
activities that will be available to him in his new location.
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