Moving is overwhelming, especially if you’re moving to a new city rather than simply a new neighborhood. You’ll not only need to get settled into your new house and meet new people but also potentially adjust to a new job and definitely a new social scene. But all of this gets even more complex when you’re moving with kids.
As a general rule, most kids don’t necessarily like to move. Moving to a new city can be scary to them, putting them in a new school district and forcing them to make new friends while they potentially fall out of touch with their old friends. Often, it falls onto their parents to ensure that they are as well-equipped for their moves as possible. After all, you will be the only person that your child really knows when they move to a new place. With that in mind, we’re giving you a few tips to utilize when you move to a new city with children. Ideally, these will help you make the process a little simpler, and ensure that your move is as smooth as possible for you and your children alike.
1. Have Your Child Decorate Their Own Room
There are a lot of reasons why you should let your child decorate their own room when you move to a new city. Typically, you as a parent would be responsible for decorating your child’s room, and understandably so. It’s true that children don’t always have the best taste in terms of selecting the decor and style for their bedrooms. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have the right to put their own particular stamp on their spaces. Additionally, allowing your child to decorate their own bedroom will ideally make them feel more connected to space, and allow them to, in general, make it more of their own. They could also feel more connected to their new city and house, in a way that they wouldn’t be if they didn’t get to decorate on their own.
You don’t necessarily have to let your child have completely free rein over their room. More permanent aspects of decorating, like paint colors, may be best left to you. After all, typical residential interior paint will last around three years before it needs refreshing. But you could let them add stickers and other decorations to their walls. You could also give them choices and let them be a part of selecting their own furniture. Furthermore, you could allow your child to pick out their own bedding. The more involved they are, the more enthusiastic they might be about moving to a new city.
2. Find Medical Professionals
Your kids may not necessarily feel too enthusiastic about having appointments with new dentists, orthodontists, and pediatricians. But the sooner you have those aspects of your move sorted, the easier it will be for them to settle in. Not to mention that it can reassure you of your children’s health. You may want to log on to local online community groups in order to get recommendations regarding medical professionals for your kids. Don’t rely on faceless online reviews alone, though you should take them into account. Get to know people and take their personal recommendations seriously.
The last thing you want to do is put these new appointments off, however tempting that might be. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, kids should begin visiting the orthodontist when they are around seven years old; and of course, they should begin seeing pediatricians and dentists even earlier. But that first appointment is about more than just ensuring that your child is as healthy as possible. It’s also about establishing a rapport with them. You as the parent need to make sure that your kids like their dentists, pediatricians, and orthodontists. It’s understandable if they’re nervous about appointments and may not like the idea of going to see a doctor or dentist. But they need to feel as if their doctor, dentist, or orthodontist really cares about them, and as if they can trust them. Talk to your child, and take their opinion about their new doctor, dentist, or pediatrician seriously. This is someone that they’ll have to have a fairly personal relationship with, and knowing that you value their input may make them feel better about their move.
3. If You’re Divorced, Keep Your Ex in the Loop
Moving with your kids is always a little complicated, but it becomes more complicated when you’re divorced. There are a lot of issues that come with divorce, and among them are custody agreements. Every state is going to differ in terms of what is required of divorced parents when one of them moves. For example, divorced parents in Pennsylvania need to abide by a specific rule regarding distance. If your child must travel over an hour between your home and that of your ex, the move is considered a relocation, and you may need to go to court to iron out the details. Furthermore, what you’re able to do is highly dependent on your custody agreement. If you and your spouse agreed that the two of you would live in the same city, your custody agreement may need to be renegotiated. If you’re the custodial parent, you can often move with your children without much fanfare. But it’s not always as easy as it might initially seem.
Of course, you can avoid a lot of these issues by keeping your ex in the loop. If the two of you have a good relationship and you facilitate visitation between them and your child after you move, it might not be too difficult for the two of you to negotiate a move. But you need to be ready for questions, and for potentially paying to ensure that your child is able to visit their parent easily.
There are clearly a lot of issues to consider as you move with your child. The more sensitive you are to everyone involved, however, the easier your move will be for everyone.
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