Many families have to move only a few times throughout their life, while others have to move almost every other year due to work schedules and locations. Many military or service personnel have to go where their respective offices station them and there is very little that they can do about it. Most families who have to move often simply become used to the whole process of packing up, moving and settling down time after time throughout their lives.
Many children who have to go through a lot of moves in their lives may have some level of sociological difficulties which can include having some trouble making friends or being able to trust people. Whenever it's possible you should plan your move well enough in advance so that you can allow your family the time they need to say goodbye to friends and other family members before you move away. Taking the time to let your children express their frustrations and anxieties before you set out on your moving day will help your family begin the process of dealing with the many emotions involved in the move.
Younger children may not have too much of a problem with leaving their friends behind if they know that they'll make lots of new ones when they get to wherever it is you're moving to. It will save a lot of pain and grief later if you simply take the time to talk over as many aspects of the move as possible with them to set their minds at ease. They may even begin to think of the whole moving trip as one big family adventure. Making new friends will become a very important part of your younger children's' move and will help them to look more forward to the move itself.
Helping your teenaged children to adapt to the idea of moving will almost surely take a lot longer to accomplish. Your teens will have a much harder time to leave behind strong friendships that they may have developed over their entire life. Having to leave the comfortable surroundings that they grew up with is going to be a major stumbling block for them. Even though your teenager may give you the impression that they're fine with the move, there will most likely be a point during the months leading up to the where the child will simply refuse to go along with the residential moving. It's normal for teenaged children to have very dramatic views on their lives and everything that affects them. The uncertainty of the future is always paramount in the mind of a teen and insecurity runs rampant through their minds on a regular basis. Throwing a move to an unfamiliar location with strange people at them will only make whatever is bothering them worse.
It's very important that you sit down with your family and explain all the reasons for the move to a new place. Take note of their insecurities and do your very best to calm them and provide some assurance that their lives will get back to normal as soon as possible. If your teenager doesn't want to talk about it, that's fine, but always make sure that they realize that you're available to talk over any problems they may be having with move. Keep the path of communication open.
