How to Help Teenagers Transition From Moving
Teenagers deal with a lot of stress between social pressures, schoolwork and home life. Even a confident teen may dread the changes that come with moving to a new location -- losing daily contact with friends, a school he understands and a town he is comfortable in. Families don't only move when a new job is obtained. Any situation, from a promotion to a desire for a new climate, can cause a family to move. No matter the reason, help your teen see the move as an opportunity and an adventure instead of a hardship.
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Instructions
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Purchase a map of the town you're moving to that includes natural features and street names. Sit down with your teen and place stickers on the map that show the locations of your new workplace, school and home, if you know them. Talk about the geography -- mountains, lakes or valleys.
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Make a list of activities you do as a family and separately. Include mundane things like grocery shopping and banking as well as fun things like bowling and yoga. Ask your teen to go online and find a few places in the new town that offer each activity, as well as the addresses of each place. Plot the locations on your map with stickers to see what's near your home.
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Talk about redecorating the teenager's bedroom with her, if feasible. A new color of paint, new curtains and a new bed frame can help update the look of older furnishings. It might give her something to look forward to in the new location.
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Ask your teenager when she wants to come back and visit the place you are moving away from. Try to plan trips around holidays or school events, like the prom, so she can join in on the fun and see many of her old friends. If it's acceptable, plan to invite her friends to come visit sometime in the summer.
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Spend weekends exploring the new area with your teenager after the move. Drive to local attractions and consider taking an overnight trip as a family. Show your teen the benefits of living in the new location by finding attractions that will interest her.
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Encourage your teen to rejoin extracurricular activities she enjoyed at the old location. Speak to coaches, advisers and teachers to enlist their support in helping her get settled in the new school.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't forget to alert the school, your doctor and other professionals who may need to transfer papers for your teen to the new location.
Keep an open dialogue with your teenager about the move. Ask every day how school was and whether she met any new friends
Don't keep information about the move from your teenager. If you know about the move long before you tell her, she may feel betrayed or out of the loop. Let her know so she can speak to her friends and make arrangements to take care of projects at school.
References
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