Living in Mason, we have so many neighbors who work for P&G and GE and they seem to be on a revolving door of moving every 3 years. It’s sad to see our friends go, but it started to make me think about my kids and how they would do if we had to move. I loved this post because I think it has some great tips for those of you who are or know someone who is moving to Cincinnati.
Relocating to Cincinnati for a big new job can be great for your career and your family’s future, but it can be tough on your kids to leave behind their old home and friends. Moving in general can be stressful on you too, so it’s worth making the relocation transition as easy as possible on your children. No matter how old they are, here are five recommended tips to help your children adjust to your move to Cincinnati.
Keep Them Informed About the Move
It’s a good idea to inform your children about the move early on. They might be afraid or sad in the short-term, so it’s helpful to give them more time to adjust mentally to the idea and make their peace with it. You don’t necessarily have to give them every single detail, but give them occasional news about the new job, the new house, and interesting things about the city.
Encourage them to speak their feelings and ask whatever questions they have about it. That way you can take the time to respond and address any of their fears about the relocation, from what their new school will be, to new spots where they can do all the things they love to do in your current home town.
Take Them to Cincinnati Ahead of Time
If possible, try to take your kids to Cincinnati before the actual move. You can take them around where you’ll be living to dispel their fear of the unknown — show them their new school, all the parks in the area, the shops and restaurants, and so on. Whatever hobbies and interests your children have, try to show them something in Cincinnati that they’d like. There are also a number of big attractions for kids, such as:
- The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
- Newport Aquarium
- Coney Island with fun rides, mini golf, and one of the world’s largest swimming pools
- Rockin’ Jump trampoline park
- Cincinnati Museum Center and its fun interactive exhibits
If you can’t afford to make that trip, get on a computer with them and look up videos, pictures, and information on all these sights and activities in Cincinnati that they will like. If you give them things to get excited about, it can calm their fears and get them excited for the relocation.
Encourage Them to Keep Contact with Their Friends
For your children who are older and have formed close friendships at your old home, that can be the most difficult part for them to deal with. It can be daunting for them to realize they’ll be far away from their old friends and have to work to fit in at their new home. Thankfully, technology has made it easier than ever to keep in touch with people all over the world.
Make sure to encourage your kids to stay in contact with their old friends after the move. Social media, smartphones, and any online video games they play allow them to interact and keep in regular contact with their old friends. You can also arrange either for their friends to travel to Cincinnati to visit, or for your kids to travel back to your old home to visit their friends when the opportunity presents itself.
Let Them Participate in the Move
It can help your kids cope with the idea of moving if you get them involved. Let them pack up their things the way they want, and let them help pack other things or get ready for the move. If you’re going to be getting new furniture or other things for the new home, take them shopping with you so they feel like they get some input.
This is especially true of their bedrooms in the new home. Let them pick out the colors and any new furniture they’d need. You don’t have to cater to all their whims, but it’s good for them to have input and make decisions for their own room so they feel some control.
Get Them Back Into a Routine
Once the move happens, it’s important to get your kids back into a comfortable routine as soon as possible. Do whatever you can to finish unpacking and setting everything up quickly so they’re not grumpy or stressed out about the extra work or chores. It helps them settle in and get comfortable sooner rather than later.
As much as possible, you can also try to follow the same routine from your old home. Have meals at the same time, make them their favorite food, shop at the same brands of stores, set the same times for bedtime, playtime, chores, and so on.
About the Author:
Hunter Payne will argue that, “If you don’t just LOVE Cincinnati, there is something wrong with you, not the city.” He started his career with the Netherland Hilton Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati, and after graduating from Ohio State University Hunter worked in the construction and real estate management fields. As the current managing partner of HomeLinkCincinnati he enjoys annoying his fellow workers by instituting standards that are almost impossible to obtain such as their “OCD clean” policy. He is still proud of emptying the entire box of Tide detergent in the fountain on Hyde Park Square, that caused Mrs. Blackburn to get her panties in a bunch.
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