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Moving house + kids
I was reading a post on another board about moving house. The poster was saying that she had moved twice as a child (staying in the same area, but shifting houses) and she thought it was really disruptive and would never want that for her kids.
I was surprised...I didn't think that moving twice (especially if it's within the same area, not interstate or to another city/county) was that big of a deal. I mean, of course moving a lot isn't ideal, but if you're still going to the same school, etc. then it doesn't seem so bad to me. Then again, we moved a lot when I was little...I can count 10 times before I was 9, and by the time I was 18 I probably moved around 15 times total. Add in up to today and it's got to be 20+.
I know I'm probably on the high side, but can 2 (or fewer) times really be the average? I didn't think that many people grew up in just one house these days. Or maybe that's just what I tell myself to make the amount of times we moved seem not so bad lol.
Re: Moving house + kids
I was like you, growing up. I think we moved almost every year, up until I was 14 and my parents bought a house.
I was always the 'new girl' in school. While I think it might have affected how I relate to people today in a negative way (these days I don't really form deep, close relationships with a lot of people), I also have no trouble approaching a room full of people I don't know and going up to introduce myself to them without blinking an eye.
Moving twice is not a big deal, not in my eyes.
It might depend on WHY you're moving. If it's because of a job loss or divorce, then yes that'd be traumatic. When my mom divorced my step-dad and we had to move, that was the worst for me at 16. Oddly, the divorce didn't bother me that much (I didn't like my step-dad that much), but having to move to a much smaller house on the other side of town really bothered me. I had really grown attached to our house and loved it there in my old neighborhood, with my childhood friends around me. I'm a sentimental person, and was as a child, too, so I got attached to things I was used to, even if that was just a house/neighborhood.
But for the average kid, I guess moving twice wouldn't be too bad. MH and I hope not to move until we retire (we LOVE our neighborhood and neither one us handles unnecessary change well), but who knows what the future will bring!
My sister on the other hand is a different story. When I was away at college my family ended up moving from SoCal to Idaho. This was when my sis was a Sophomore in High School. She was NOT a happy camper. First issue was that it happened really fast. My dad received a job offer and I guess there wasn't much family discussion before he accepted. He ended moving up there 3 months prior to my sis & mom. This was so that my sister could finish her Soph year. Because my dad was up there and I was away my mom & sis had to do all the packing. And my sister wasn't really a part of the house hunting either (they ended up building a home). And when my mom & sis finally made it to Idaho my sis refused to talk to my dad. She was soooo pissed that she had to leave her friends and start over. I think she ended up going a whole year before she started talking to my dad again.
She's now a Junior in college and is still in Idaho (she chose to stay there!). She still complains about Idaho and misses Cali alot but I think she's somewhat over it.
Sorry to ramble.
we moved a lot when I was a kid - even if I only count the times my mom moved (since I lived with her, not my real dad). My parents divorced when I was only 2 so I don't remember it but I can see how that type of move would be traumatic. Same with moving out of town/starting at a new school or other big changes. Our moves were all in the same town and usually an upgrade on the previous home.
MH and I sometimes talk about moving - like would we want to move or add on to our current house. I think he has moving anxiety, haha. He lived in the same house from age 8 on and his parents just kept adding on and upgrading it and I guess he thought we would do the same. That never even crossed my mind - I love our house and with some additions it could be a forever house (especially if we buy a summer lot/cabin/home) but I just figured we would move (w/in the same town) at some point since this place only has 3 BR - 2 of them on the very small side.
I'm a military brat, so I moved every 3-4 years till I was 14 (my dad retired from the military at this point and moved us to his hometown). When I say I moved, I'm talking across the world. Itay to Japan, Japan to England, England to Hawaii, Hawaii to Pennsylvania. Now my experience is a little different since most kids (all being military) know what I was going through. Untill I moved to PA (my freshman year of HS), where all the kids grew up together and knew each other since kindergarten. It's definitely harder moving as you get older. At 14, moving from Hawaii to PA, I was devistated and hated PA for YEARS. But now that I'm older, I really am thankful for the experiences that I had and wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm used to change, comfortable in situations of new surroundings and new people. But like Tina, I sometimes keep to myself.
I remember graduating HS and majority of my classmates were crying and saying their good byes, for me it was just another move.
This is me too! My whole family had one particularly traumatic move that led to all of us becoming overweight. We were unhappy for years in one location. So, I think it depends on where you end up. I certainly don't regret the moving - but I know for my brother it's caused a lasting depression.
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