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Your promotion is complete and you are now expected to relocate to the new company site in London. Now the search begins for houses in London. However, the most difficult part of the entire relocation process isn’t finding housing, but telling your children that you are picking up and moving a long distance.
Moving can be traumatic for children who have to leave the comforts and securities of friends, school, town, and the home they’ve come to love. Most of these things, children never dream of leaving behind so it can be a shock to find out they have to move. This can be even more frightening for them if the move is to a new country and culture such as moving into new houses in London.
Due to the experience that London Relocation has with helping staff and their families relocate, we are offering some tried and true tips for helping children cope with the change.
Break the News at a Family Gathering
To avoid unnecessary stress in children, don’t simply blurt out that you’re moving while in the process of packing. Instead, gather the family together over pizza or a table game and casually bring up the subject. Discuss the new opportunities, be excited, ask and answer questions, share previous moving experiences, and provide plenty of support. By the entire family coming together to discuss the move, children will feel more comforted and supported, thus reducing anxieties.
Schedule Family Research Time
To further reduce moving stress in children, schedule a time when you can sit down with them and research London. Together, you can learn about interesting attractions, glean some history, discover cultural differences, seek out fun activities, and explore various neighborhoods and nearby schools. This will help both parents and children prepare for their new home as well as provide important bonding time.
Talk About the New Home
When you talk with your relocation specialist, you will be asked to provide specifics on what you expect in houses in London. A great way to help children with the transition is to talk with them about their new home. Ask them what they want, where they would like to live in London, and other features that give them a chance to play an active role in picking their new home.
Provide a Party
Children have an especially hard time leaving friends. To help with this transition, allow your children to have a party that all their friends and neighbors can attend. Keep the atmosphere light by stressing that this is only temporary and they will see each other soon. Take plenty of photos to make a scrapbook, gather contact information and allow your children to email and call special friends once they are relocated. You might even try to schedule vacations with the parents of special friends so children can see each other occasionally. You can choose a location halfway between London and the old home if the distances are great.
Let Children Help Design Their Rooms
Once moved into houses in London, allow your children to help design their new rooms. Take them with you to shop for new furniture, linens, posters, carpets, etc. Teen age children can be given a budget so they can buy items that especially appeal to them for their new rooms.
The friendly and skilled consultants at London Relocation will not only help parents complete all the details of a move, but they will also assist children by answering specific questions and providing good information that will help them acclimate more rapidly to both their new environment and houses in London.
