WSVN — Moving is one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. One mom had to move her entire family across the country and keep everyone sane. 7’s Lynn Martinez shows us how she did it in today’s Parent to Parent.
When Jessica Auslander found out her family was moving from Ohio to Florida, she knew it would be a bit stressful, especially for her three kids.
Jessica Auslander: “My oldest had more questions and I was a little more concerned about his reaction to it.”
She wanted to ease their anxiety as much as she could. So first, she encouraged them to ask questions and they had a few.
Jaden Auslander: “Like, what relatives live down there?”
Eight-year-old Jaden wanted to see their new house and nearby schools.
Mom showed him how to look it up on-line.
Jessica Auslander: “Teaching him how to use Google Maps and Google Earth and checking out areas he really got into that, doing research.”
The kids also looked forward to each having their own bedroom. So, mom let them decide ahead of time how they would decorate their space.
Jessica Auslander: “I took graph paper and we mapped out the dimensions of the rooms.”
Each child got to pick their paint color and mom came up with a bright idea. They got to decorate their light switch plate any way they wanted.
Dad’s a pilot, so Jaden’s choice was pretty easy.
Jaden Auslander: “I was like that’s it! I’m going to make it like an airport.”
Jessica’s daughter, Lillie, picked her favorite color purple and her other son, Nick, loves Spiderman.
Jessica Auslander: “Overall, I think that was helpful to them because they had some control over their space.”
Jessica also took a lot of pictures to document the big move. However, as fun as she tried to make the transition it was still tough at times.
Jaden Auslander: “I miss my friends and my teachers.”
She says this is a time to allow for some of her children’s past behaviors to return.
Jessica Auslander: “All the security blankies came back out.”
Such as Jaden’s stuffed dog “Speckles” from pre-school.
Jaden Auslander: “He’s just been my, he’s just been one of my closest friends.”
Jessica Auslander: “He was taking care of speckles and packing speckles, kind of watching him help ease his anxiety by taking care of the dog.”
Lynn Martinez: Jessica also highly recommends self-care. Moms forget to take care of themselves during stressful times. She says squeezing in some yoga helped her keep calm and focused on the task ahead.