How to move house with family and not have a breakdown
After having successfully moved house, many people’s first thought is “Never again”. It’s a stressful, frantic, soul-sapping process, and that’s if everything goes to plan; add in the additional consideration of children and a needy family and you’ve the potential for a nervous and physical breakdown.
That’s why I think this ‘ultimate family moving guide’ from Glasgow’s Removal Services Scotland is a potential godsend (you can also get this moving service in Darlington). They’ve researched and compiled together expert advice from parents, bloggers (I’m waiting for my invite to contribute to the yearly update!) plus a child psychologist to make an in-depth guide to reducing the pain of moving house with family in tow.
Young children are generally made anxious by change, and given they have no understanding of what a house move entails they can struggle the context and understand what impact it will have on their lives. Where there’s a lack of knowledge, fear is quick to fill the gap. So, the guide suggests that you help to build and reinforce a ‘template’ for them, perhaps by finding a character in a story who they can relate to who has maybe gone through the same process. It’s a nice tip.
There’s loads more practical advice in terms of packing and decluttering, such as running down stuff in the freezer: If it’s been frozen in there for five years you’re not going to use it, and you sure as heck don’t want to move it miles down the road! Also ensuring your kids’ toys and things are put in the moving truck last so they can be unpacked first, helping distract the children, is a really great piece of advice.
It’s a shame these days that older people are so often overlooked, and it might also be a case in a busy house move. The guide doesn’t just focus on children but also helps understand difficulties older relatives might face moving, and how you can reduce any potential issues.
And if you’re all moved in, why not follow the instructions to make a castle from your packing boxes to celebrate?
