4 Ways to Help Your Children Cope With Moving

Between getting hard orders, scheduling a move, purging your home, and exploring your next duty station, you'll have another important job to do – help your children cope with moving. Let's face it, being a military parent can be tough, especially when navigating a PCS move. If you have older children, it's likely that they have experienced a move with you. For parents with younger children who might be unable to fully comprehend why they have to move, it can be challenging. There are some key ways that you can help your children adjust to their new town, school, and home, and we've explained them below! 

1. Tell your children as soon as you get orders: You'll want to make sure you have hard orders before you tell your children. This will help you have factual, solid information to share (and makes it less likely to change). You will want to make it a fun and exciting announcement, regardless how you truly feel about the duty station. Your children can read you; if you don't like the duty station or talk negatively of it, it could impact their view on the move. Showing photos of the town, their future school, parks, etc. can help them get excited for this new adventure!

2. Let your children help: Having your children participate in the move will help them feel important and needed. They can be in charge of packing their "first day box", writing good-bye letters to their friends, researching their new schools, etc. The age of your child(ren) can dictate exactly how you can involve them in your PCS. 

3. Celebrate your children's current favorites: Before you PCS, plan a day specifically for your children. Go to their favorite place, eat at their favorite restaurant, do a family-favorite excursion (such as a fishing charter), and simply celebrate the last time you'll be there. Before you leave that place, have your family each share their best memory there and then all say farewell to it as a family. Explain that although they are leaving that specific place behind, there will be many more places to explore at the next duty station. 

4. Look ahead: Last but not least, look ahead excitedly! Once you have your housing situation worked out, allow your children to explore the home. Regardless if you live on post of off, give your children the chance to make choices in your new home. Let them pick their bedroom or help choose a paint color! This will help the new home feel like "their own" because they were able to make choices in it. 

Being a military family, you know how crucial it is to be prepared. Try to stay calm and set an optimistic tone for your PCS. Not only will this help your children, but it will help you, too!