As a MilSpouse, if you’ve PCS’d before, you’re probably learning to sway with the wind when it comes to relocation. Don’t fight it, just go with the flow and things will turn out better than fighting an unavoidable part of Military life. Moving with kids makes your ‘go with the flow’ mentality a lot harder to maintain.
Don’t stress, because we’ve got some helpful approaches to make relocating with kids way easier:
Explore and Engage
Don’t let your kids have enough time to focus on loss. Do your best to focus their attention toward the bright, fun and exciting future in their awesome new home and town.
Have them help you get settled in the new house. Ask for their opinions on some small details and let them organize parts or all of their bedroom.
Get out and explore the neighborhood. Enjoy a campout in the back yard, or build a fort in your new living room for an indoor campout (complete with camping snacks!). Find some fun places to take them in your new community on the weekends.
Find those little ways to make your new home and community an exciting adventure that they’ll want to be involved with!
It’s not goodbye!
Let’s face it, change is scary; that, you can’t deny. But, when you look at PCSing from another point of view, be happy you’re living in the internet age. Of course your kids don’t want to say goodbye to their friends and routines. Routine comes with time. Nostalgia for their friends they left behind? That can be solved through Skype, Facebook and FaceTime, among many other social networks and video chatting apps. Make sure to emphasize to your kids that it’s not goodbye, it’s see ya later.
They can even send mini care packages back and forth to their friends to stay connected. New age pen pals?! Yes!
Treat them to an upgrade
Once the madness calms down from the move, take your child(ren) out to get something new for their room. You can also create a memory box with them to hang in their room so they can remember their favorite trinkets and pictures from their old home and town.
