Moving with Children? 10 Tips to Help them say Goodbye













As your moving day draws near, bidding farewell to old friends and familiar places can be a difficult task for children and parents alike. Yet saying goodbye to the present is a necessary stop before moving on to whatever the future might hold. Here are some tips for helping your children say their goodbyes.

1. Supply your child with an address or autograph book to collect addresses, phone numbers, autographs, or personal messages from friends they want to remember.

2. Arrange a backyard photo session for your children and their closest friends so they can share snapshots with one another before the move.

3. Schedule goodbye visits to your child's favorite places - a local park, the zoo, or perhaps a restaurant you have all enjoyed as a family.

4. Distribute pre-addressed picture postcards to your child's friends that can be mailed to your new home shortly after the move.

5. Help your children create a neighborhood scrapbook with drawings and photographs of friends and favorite places.

6. Have your child make a list of pleasant memories he/she may want to retain about your neighborhood and community.

7. Arrange with your child's teacher to have a short question-and-answer period so your child can let classmates know when and where he/she will be moving.

8. Help your child donate a symbolic going-away gift to his/her school, church, or club, such as a small plant or book for the school library.

9. Leave a small memento at your old home that will symbolize your child's life there - plant a flower in the yard, hide a tiny toy in a secret place, or have your kids write a letter of welcome to children who might be moving in.

10. Look for frequent opportunities to talk with your kids about their feelings regarding the move, and share yours with them as well.

Tom Olkowski, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Denver. He offers relocation counseling for families, training for relocation professionals, and has authored Moving with Children and Success and the Family-Friendly REALTOR. For information or copies of his books, he may be contacted at (303) 759-8539 or DrTolkowski@aol.com

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