Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - 5.15.05 - Index

By Dr. Lou Anne Wellford
SmartBox Portable Storage, Inc.
Moving: From A Kids Perspective
As adults, it’s easy to get
caught up in the logistical details of
buying or selling a house and moving
without considering how these events
affect the whole family. Moving from
city to city, and even from one house
to another locally has a significant
impact on our children. Memories
from these events can stay with them
for a long time and, in some cases,
can be very traumatic. In the last fifteen
years, my family and I have
moved four times and two of those
moves have been interstate moves
from Texas to the east coast and back
to Texas.
I thought it might be interesting
to get a child’s perspective on moving
so I asked my three children. I have a
boy and two girls who range in age
from 14 down to 8. My son, the oldest,
and my 11-year old daughter have
moved 4 times in their life, while my
youngest girl has only gone through 3
moves. The children helped with
each move, as was appropriate for
their age. They packed their rooms,
labeled boxes, and helped load the
truck. My oldest, having the most
experience, recalls that in the last two
moves, he was able to help more and
had more say in how his new room
would be arranged.
Moving
can be hard on
everyone, but
there are good
things to
look forward
to. As
predicted, my
children were
most upset
about leaving
friends and
familiar surroundings
behind, but
they also looked
forward to the new
adventures. My son
says that the best
part of moving is the new house.
For For All All Your Your
Dirty Dirty
Jobs,
Coit Coit Is Is The The One One To To
Clean Them!
Selected Selected By By
Angie’s Angie’ s List List As As
#1 #1 in in 2007 2007
Earnest Earnest
Glenn Glenn
Cleaning Cleaning & & Restoration Restoration Services
Services
24 24 Hour Hour Emergency Emergency
Water Water
Extraction
Extraction
Personalized REALTOR Carpet Cleaning!
Drapes and Upholstery Too!
1-800-FOR-COIT
495-4974
May 15, 2008 REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE 13
“Each time we moved I got a better
room and a bathroom.” The girls look
forward to the new and exciting:
meeting new people, making new
friends, visiting new places and seeing
new things.
‘Out of the mouths of babes,’
through their moving experiences, my
children have learned great life
lessons and have wonderful advice
for other children (and their parents)
to consider before and after moving
day. Prior to the move, as they were
most concerned with leaving friends
behind, the girls both found comfort
in creating a scrapbook, or book of
memories, with their friends. “That
way even if you don’t get to see
them, you can still remember
them,” said my oldest girl. My
son recommends that you
should prepare for potential lag
time in the reconnection of all
things electronic (i.e. internet
and cable service).
Fight boredom
by packing
some games
and iPods separately
and
put them
with
y o u r
persona
l
items. He also counsels that ‘being
yourself’ is the key to making new
friends in the new location. “Don’t
try to lie about yourself to make new
friends.”
It is important to keep your
children involved in a move to make
them feel that they have a stake in it.
Let them help pack their belongings
and label boxes. With younger children,
make it an adventure with new
people to meet and new places to
explore. Help them make the move
easier by making a memory book so
that your children can remember
where they have been and even share
that with new friends. Most of all,
listen to your children and try to help
them through their fears and concerns
about the move. By keeping them in
the loop, you can help ease the impact
that a move can have on children.
And don’t forget to keep some activities
(iPods, videos, games, books) to
play with on moving day because it
becomes very hectic while loading or
unloading your goods with TVs and
computers disconnected, keeping the
children occupied and happy allows
for much greater efficiency during
this time. These items will also come
in handy for the car trip during a long
distance move.
Dr. Lou Anne Wellford is a local
emergency room doctor and one of
the owners of SMARTBOX Portable
Storage, Inc. in San Antonio. She and
her family have moved to, from and
within Texas and North Carolina.
Welcome To Another “Pip”!
(l-r) George Rodriguez, Mortgage Advisor welcomes
welcomes new Senior, Loan Officer, Michael Pipper
Boerne Loans
Call
210-877-5700
4776 Research Dr.
San Antonio 78248