Moving With Kids

Hurd & Honey

Moving is tough, it's exhausting, and can also be emotional. Shortly after Ester was born we purchased our first home, and I didn't expect to be as emotional about leaving our rental home as I was. I can remember our final night in that home, after living there for over five years, growing our business there, spending our first years of marriage there, it felt terribly sad, and heavy. I even asked my husband if we could back out of our contract and just stay there. (Yes, I am sure postpartum hormones were in full effect, haha.) 

Oftentimes we think that our children don't feel the weight of a move. Especially with little tiny kids and babies, ignorance is bliss right, but is it really? If mom and dad are under stress, so are the little ones, and this can't be taken lightly. While moves happen sometimes without expectation, and sometimes they're abrupt, there are things we can do to mitigate the emotional strain that weighs on our children.

Hurd & Honey

It's always great to save the money and not hire moving services, but if you have a growing family, it's worth the cost, especially if you don't have family and friends that can help. We had a unique situation that didn't allow us to hire help when we moved from Texas to Colorado, and had to do it all on our own. One family friend came through in the end, and that was a huge blessing. If we had only been moving our belongings we would have hired a moving company, but since we were also moving our business and all of our equipment, we had to do it on our own. In the past we incurred too much damage and didn't want to risk worse damage given the nature of the long distance move. Unless we have to, we will never move long distance again. 

Hiring help is worthwhile, and it will motivate you to spend more time organizing and planning your move prior to the big day/days. This will relieve stress for the entire family, and make a road trip more enjoyable. 

Hurd & Honey

Extroverted kids handle moves more easily, or so people like to think. But a move is stressful on all types of personalities. If you're taking your children away from established schools and friendships consider a slow transition, and making their comfort the biggest priority. Make it a goal to get their rooms decorated and unpacked first, even take them to Home Depot and let them choose a paint color for their walls. Help them get to acquainted with their new park/school and community. They will transition much smoother if they know you are present for them, as best as you can be. 

We all hope to give our children a strong foundation, and that is our hope too. I dream of having one home for our children to grow in, the one that they come back to when they're grown, and revel in their memories and share their present day highlights. May your moves and homes be blessed!

*This is a collaborative post.