Helping Children Through The Moving Process

In September of 2011, we got rid of our moving boxes.  We have moved enough over the years.  Life as a pastor has moved us from Florida to Canada, from Canada to Kansas, from Kansas to Tennessee and from Tennessee to Missouri.

Frankly we were all tired of it, so the boxes went away.  Then God interrupts with some direction that we were not expecting to a place we never would have imagined- back to Florida, to Teen Missions International where our life in ministry began back in 1986.  There's too many stories in there to recount right here, so let me just hit on where that leaves us today.

Moving with seven children at home and a full house with a basement is going to be a bit of a challenge.  Most importantly, though, is the challenge of keeping all of our children intact while moving.

It's hard enough to get emotionally ready for a change of this magnitude-again; but it can be even harder for our children to process all of this.

How do we help our children through this kind of change?

I have always been of the philosophy that we should approach things with our kids openly and honestly.  Sometimes that's harder than others, but moving is pretty straight forward.  Here are some guidelines that we will use to help them manage the days ahead, as well as other situations in life:

*Tell them the truth in ways that they can handle.
*Acknowledge issues that they express trouble handling.
*Counsel them on the truths of life that may be disappointing but still must happen.
*Show them in every way possible that we will be by their side to handle the 
       adjustments.
*Pray that God will help them see the opportunities ahead.

Life is not always easy, but we don't have to go it alone.  Being able to deal with the truth of situations will certainly make us stronger for more of life's hardships.  Helping our children honestly and with compassion will see them through the difficulties and prepare them for life ahead.