Moving
New home, new neighborhood, leaving familiar
The home they know, the friends they're leaving, the room they have to give up. Moving is exciting for adults who chose it and disorienting for kids who didn't. Their whole world is changing without their permission.
What to Know
Moving is exciting for adults who chose it and disorienting for kids who didn't. Their whole world is changing without their permission — their home, their room, potentially their school, their friends, their routines. Even moves to "better" situations involve real loss that deserves acknowledgment.
Kids respond to moves differently based on age and temperament. Some adjust quickly; others struggle for months. The transition is often harder than expected because the full reality doesn't hit until they're living it — missing their old room, their old friends, the way things used to be.
What helps: involving kids in the process where possible, letting them grieve what they're losing, maintaining as many routines as possible during the transition, and giving extra patience during the adjustment period.
Signs to Watch
- •Talks frequently about missing the old home or friends
- •Has increased anxiety, clinginess, or regression
- •Struggles to adjust to new school or social environment
- •Has changes in mood, sleep, or appetite
- •Acts out in new ways
- •Withdraws or seems depressed
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