8 Ideas for a New Home Gift
Uprooting yourself from a familiar place you call home can prove to be a tough task. It takes careful planning, the support of your friends and family, and a period of adjustment to your new locale — in this case, Houston. However, if you do intend on making the leap of faith, following a few simple guidelines can help make your family’s transition easier and more comfortable.
Keep Family Communication Open
As with any other big decision, it’s vital that you keep the avenues of communication open between your family and yourself. Allow them to express all the concerns they have with the impending move. This allows them to air out everything that’s bothering them, giving you the opportunity to help with the transition. Children often take the news the hardest; they must leave behind friends and familiar surroundings. Make sure you take extra time to help them get settled and have them discuss their feelings once you get to your new home.
Move to the Perfect Area of Town
Because moving to a new area can seem overwhelming, especially a thriving one such as Houston, make sure you have everything planned ahead of time. Check out different homes in Houston, see what the community has to offer, and try visiting the area before the move. Finding a home in the perfect area of town to suit your family’s needs can often be the difference between happiness and loneliness.Remember to always ask your family what they think about the new area and house. Make sure your new home feels like home and not just a new house, this may take a little while, especially with children, but making it as comfortable and as beautiful as possible for everyone in the family is key to adjusting to a new city.
Get Involved
Even if you begin to work an insane amount of hours, use your free time to get your family involved in the local community. The sooner you get your spouse or children involved in activities, the faster they’ll acclimate to the move. Many bigger cities like Houston offer an array of free or cheap activities such as youth sports programs, museums, and fun runs to keep your family occupied and get their mind off the move.
Deal with Goodbyes
Perhaps the most difficult part of a move is saying your goodbyes. Everyone has something that they’ll miss. Understanding that everyone copes with this in a different way is important. Make sure you allow everyone to air out their grievances before the move and afterward. That way, you can pay special attention to your family members that are having trouble with the transition.
Schedule Family Days
Once again, the mental health of your family tends to be the most integral aspect of the move. Even if you’re working non-stop, take a day to schedule a family day. While this tends to be a bit more difficult with teenagers, they won’t regret it. Make sure that you don’t make the outing too long. If you have younger children, it’s a perfect way to get your mind off work and entertain the kids by going to the zoo or an Astros, a Texans, or a Rockets game.
Make Your New Home Feel Like Home
Making your new abode feel like home means making it as comfortable and as aesthetically pleasing to everyone in your family. It’s a good idea to have the whole family help out and have some input in the decorating and painting process of the new home. Check out these apps to help spur some creative design ideas. Letting them pick out the new paint colors, theme and decorations for their own rooms, will give them a sense of customization, ownership and pride in their new home, which will in turn expedite the adjustment process.
Help Your Spouse
Much like your children, your spouse has doubts and questions about the new move. To help with the transition, make sure your finances are in order. This allows your spouse to search for a rewarding job as opposed to taking the first one that comes their way. Also, lend ideas to how they spend their free time. Sitting idly at home is a horrible way to transition to a new city, so finding clubs, trivia nights, and open mics is a great way to meet new people and have fun at the same time. No matter where you choose to move and at what time in your life, the transition is harder than you think. However, you can help smooth things over by making sure your family is in good spirits. This will enable you to keep your focus on your job and not stressing out over things at home. A healthy family life should be the focal point, and once everyone is adjusted, you’ll find yourself loving life in a new place and enjoying new adventures for years to come.
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