Hello !
Today I am starting with a very simple question : "Have you ever tried to move your teenager out of his/her room..?"
"Yes?"
"Ok..."
Now, can you imagine moving your teenager to another home-city-country with new home-friends-school-life, etc...?
Aha.... I thought so.... Are those beads of sweat in your face...? Hmmmm.....
Don't panic ! I'm just joking (or maybe not....?)
The truth is that as we enter this preparation whirlpool sometimes we may forget something important from our lengthy checklist.
What is that ? Participation !
We tend to forget that relocation concerns everyone in the family and affects the family members all and each one individually at the same time.
Teens is a very sensitive and fragile period where "fitting in", social life and friends are above all.
So, it is more than normal, when disturbing this already "choppy" balance, to receive nothing but negative reactions.
What to do ? Here are some tips I believe they could be helpful :
a. All family should know about this thoroughgoing change, so prepare in a simple but honest way the reasons you made this decision.
b. Prepare your arguments : Grosso modo, you know what kind of reactions to expect. Don't be caught off guard !
c. Present it as an adventure, as a way to meet new culture, people, friends, etc.
d. Explain that this is something that all the family will face together, since it is something new for all.
e. Seize the opportunity of relocation to spend even more time together : Gather information about the country you're about to move; find any sports, arts, malls, cinemas, etc., various activities that would suit your teen's interests close to the place you're about to stay.
f. Find blogs or expat forums, maybe expat teen forums to warm up the whole situation exchanging information, replying to their queries, maybe create the first bases of new friendships etc.
No need to expatiate further. The point here is to make all the members part of the procedure. Accept everyone's -no matter the age- worries and try to quell them with facts. In this way, the more information the less anxiety and reactions for the unknown.
p.s. And not to forget it ! There is also a chance, your teenager to be thrilled about relocation and even happier than you !!!
