Moving from Pennsylvania to South Carolina Part 2 – Considering the Children for “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3).
When we announced our upcoming move to SC this summer, so many neighbors and others asked me how the kids and I felt about it (see part 1 of our move here). I was impressed that they were considering the kids. If you know our full story of moving to PA two years ago, you’d probably understand why (get a little of it here). Our kids had such an emotionally difficult time when we relocated here, it was heart-breaking. Not just the kids, I had a super difficult time too (see this post). So the very fact that others asked how the kids felt about moving to SC meant that they were considering the children.
Why Consider the Children
Like adults, moving affects children in different ways, whether it be positive or negative. It’s essential to consider how moving might have an impact on them. Think about both their current lifestyle and their future lifestyle. Considering the children can look like:
- Considering their interaction
- Considering their activities they do
- Considering their friends
- Considering their schooling
- Considering their health
- Considering their diet
- Considering their pediatricians, doctors, dentists (more on that below)
- Considering the church you’re pulling them from (if you go to church)
- Considering every aspect before deciding to move away from that place of familiarity.
How Might Moving Affect Their Overall Being?
Does the area you are planning to move to have some familiarity for the kids? Do you think it will be easy for them to fit in and make friends there? The activities they do – can they continue that there? If your kids, for example, have a passion for ice-skating, will they be able to continue their lessons in the new area?
What would their school look like? If your kids are homeschooled, can you find support groups in your new area? You have to consider everything as far as you can think of. Don’t just think, “Oh, they’ll adjust!”. IT. IS. NOT. THAT. EASY. Take it from our experience.
Examples of How Moving to PA Affected our Kids
In our case, it seems like we were affected a lot negatively. Let me give you some examples of how moving to PA affected our kids in some ways and as a result, affected us as a family. I’m not going to share much of it in this post but just know that the area we moved to was far from most things and so hard to adjust to. Were there some positives? Right now, this post is
- Emotionally – Our little son was so emotionally saddened that he asked to go to a hotel almost EVERYDAY up to a over a year after moving. That was hard on me mentally and emotionally as a mom.
- Play – For the first year or so, instead of playing, our kids would lay on the floor in their rooms during quiet time not knowing what to do. Were these my same kids who would have such fun times playing at home? Home didn’t feel like home anymore to anyone of us.
- Friendships – Those kids haven’t made friends around their ages since moving. There’s a little 6 year old girl who eventually became their friend but nothing around my girls’ ages, they are 8 & 10. Do you remember how great it was to have good friends growing up? How have they affected you now?
- Diet – Our kids were basically vegetarians, meaning that vegetables, fruit and some healthy foods made up their diet. Finding the proper healthy foods was a far stretch. One of our child’s digestive issue elevated because of it. Oh men, the struggle was real.
- Their health – The dentists appointments, especially, were so far apart that a couple of our kids ended up getting a few cavities that first year. What? We tried to get in since like January and didn’t get an appointment until August, I believe. I know it was a few months out.
How I WAS AFFECTED AS A MOM
These are just a few ways our kids and family were affected. As a mom, I cannot even begin to explain how emotionally drained I felt. What affected the kids affected me tremendously apart from what as I was already dealing with and feeling as a mom. It’s why it’s very important to decided if the new place would work for the whole family.
- Because remember, YOUR FAMILY is YOUR CORE.
- If you move for a job, know that is not going to come do family things for you. If you have a hard day at work, your family is there to support and encourage you. Not your job.
- If you are moving just for the sake of relocating and trying something new, you still have to consider everything and how it might affect the entire family.
I hope this gave you a little insight of why I appreciated others asking me how the kids (and I) felt about moving away from our recently relocated home in PA. Hope you take the kids (and your entire family) into consideration when you are planning a big move and don’t just expect anyone to just “adjust”.
We just moved to SC two weeks ago as I’m typing this now at 8:30 am in the morning, like literally just arriving. We hope that it will be different in a good way for our family. And we are trusting in God to work things out according to HIS divine will.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27).
