Relocation can be a stressful affair. Selling or renting your home, shipping belongings, saying bye to friends and family, leaving your job and worrying about life and work in the new country are but a few of the pressures one feels before and during a relocation.
One area of concern for parents is the children. Relocation with children doubles the stresses and worries. Most adults find relocation traumatic or at least unsettling, so imagine how a child feels. Fear, sadness and anxiety are all symptoms of relocation for children too.
It is critical for parents to make the relocation process as pain free as possible for children. Children must be made to feel included in the relocation and be made fully aware of where they are going. By being part of the relocation a child feels more involved and informed and thus reduces their levels of tension and fear.
Below are some tips for parents on how to help their children enjoy the relocation process:
Explain the relocation – talk the children through the relocation process. Why are we moving? When? How? Will we come back ‘home’? Where will they live? What about their friends?
Involve the children – let your children help where they can by looking at brochures for apartments or houses, potential schools, picking removal companies, packing and arranging a good-bye party for friends and family.
Personal Possessions – if your children are attached to certain things such as a pet, toy, book, clothes or blanket make sure you take them with you. This makes the new home seem more familiar.
Learn about the host country – make an effort to teach the children as much as you can about their new home in imaginative ways. Show them pictures, books, movies, magazines and brochures. If you are moving to India take them to an Indian restaurant. If you are moving to the Gulf take them to a mosque. The more they learn about the country the less they fear the relocation.
Learn the Language – if there is enough time before the move, have your children take language lessons. This will equip them with a useful skill when they arrive in the new country and make it seem less alien.
Find a pen pal – try and find a pen pal for your children from the new country. This will help the children become excited about the move and enable them to learn a little about the new culture.
Convey excitement – it is critical that parents always express a sense of excitement, wonder and adventure when discussing the relocation. If the relocation is talked about negatively or hesitantly the children will always pick up on it.
These are but a few tips that if followed will help your child come to terms with and positively become involved with the relocation process.
