Helping Teens Cope When Moving

Moving is stressful for most people. A family uprooting itself to move out of the city or state can cause a lot of emotions and anxiety. For the teen involved in this process, it’s even more difficult. Going through the teen years is hard enough and having to start over can be very tough. Here are some tips to help your teen cope with the transition.

First, you must understand that at such an emotionally fragile time in their lives, they’re going to grieve the losses they’ll experience when they move. Allowing them to spend those remaining days with their friends and to express their sadness after arriving at their new home will help them process the emotion and move forward. Encourage them to stay in touch with friends from their old neighborhood. They can still be an important part of your teen’s life across the miles.

Upon arriving in the new place, you might be busy finding HOA management for your new home or your old home which you might be selling. However, make sure you take the time to engage your teen. They may be feeling alone. It’s up to you to help bridge the gap of their loneliness by taking them out and keeping them active. The more you learn about your new town the more comfortable everyone will feel. Encourage your teens to go out and interact with other kids their own age. The quicker they get comfortable, the better.

Moving is stressful for teens. They’ll need you for support. Give them attention without overwhelming them and with time, they’ll adapt to their new surroundings.

Network Safety

Content

Social networking is a fun way to re-connect and stay connected with those you know and love. Unfortunately, it is also a way that others can spy and prey on you. It’s important that we explain to our tweens and teens what they can and cannot share on their networking page. You just never know who is watching.

A perfect example is that terrific vacation you’ve been planning. Never mention how or when you will get there. Keep the surprise alive until you have safely returned from your trip. No matter how exciting the destination is, remind your children (and yourself) not to share this information online until after you get home. Encourage the kids to keep a hand-written account of their days. They can transfer it to the web later. Even their texting should be curtailed while you’re away. You do not want the wrong people to know that no one is home. It makes your house an easy target for burglars.

Parenting children requires you to gain knowledge of the electronic devices and destinations before your kids do. Not always easy. One Mom told us that she went to one of her teenage neighbors, and asked for “lessons” on what is out there, when her daughter was only 10 years old. She wanted to know what things her daughter might hear about on the playground. Even though the rules in your house restrict internet use, you need to consider what your child’s friends have access to. Not everyone tightens up their computer’s privacy settings.

Computers are here to stay, and they are changing everyday. Make your child aware of your concerns, when you restrict their use of phones, pods, pads, and computers. When kids understand why you have the rules you do, they will most likely follow those rules, even when you are not there to look over their shoulder.