How a Move to a New State Can Affect the Whole Family
#1 Your spouse
It is likely that you have chosen to move away from your old home due to work relocation prospects. However, it is very unlikely that your spouse has also had the good luck to be offered the same or similar position with their work. This can lead to stress in the home, and you should be prepared to support your spouse while they get used to their new surroundings.
Moving away from family members
Moving away from the lifelong support of family members can take its toll, especially if before they were just around the corner and were seen often.
Finding new friend groups
Although kids do tend to make friends and acquaintances relatively easily, adults do not; it can be hard to move to a new place and know nobody and even more so if you or your spouse were very socially active in your previous location.
Sourcing a new job or income stream
Of course, finding a new job can bring new friendships with it, but that can also be hard when living in a new area. It takes time to find the right job in the right business, so don't be too hard on yourself if the perfect job isn't forthcoming straight away.
#2 Your kids
They will find it hardest of all, although they may not actually say it. Of course, they have the excitement of having a new home, new yard to play in, and new playgrounds to explore; however, when it sinks in that that is it, and there is no going back to the old house, it can knock them for six.
Moving away from established relationships
Although kids do make new friends relatively quickly, it can still be hard and daunting for them to have to try. In your old neighborhood, they were well aware of who to stay clear of and who they could rely on. Here, they are amongst strangers, and working out who to trust and who they can call friends will take time.
Schools
It is likely that you have picked out a school for them to attend. This will mean new, busy surroundings with different noises and smells for them to grow accustomed to. This in itself can be stressful and then add to that the chances of the subjects that they were used to studying – although named the same, maybe taught slightly differently.
Being the new kid in the class isn't easy, as anyone who had to move schools in their youth will tell you, and you will need to make sure that you support your kids through this difficult period, even if it means keeping in contact with some of their old friends in your previous neighborhood.
#3 Your pets
You shall have to plan your pets' move carefully; their needs and requirements will need additional planning so that they are kept calm and not frightened about the up-and-coming move.
The move itself
Pets find anything out of the ordinary very stressful, so removing them from the situation is one of the kindest things that you can do. Dogs can be taken to friends or family members on the morning of the move, but cats will need to be given additional care.
If you have a local cattery where they usually spend their holidays, it may be a good idea to book them in for an overnight stay or two. Using a specialized cat transport business such as https://www.shiply.com/us/pet-transport/cat-transport to then collect your cat from the designated cattery and deliver them to your new address will provide you with the time to get as much sorted and settled as you possibly can while having your cat arrive in a well-rested and less anxious state.
Settling into new surroundings
You will have to give your cat time to settle into their new surroundings and not let them out to explore for at least six weeks. This will ensure they recognize their new home as their territory and don't try to return to their old stomping ground. Of course, you should take into consideration that back at your previous abode, your cat knew their place within the local cat hierarchy, and so did the other cats around them.
Here, at your new home, your cat will have to assert themself into an already formed hierarchy, so there may be disagreements within the local neighborhood cats.
