Being a single mom involves facing various challenges on a daily basis. The decisions and choices you make regarding your children, all those house chores, and ordinary issues of all working mothers are sometimes very difficult to bear. So, what happens when you suddenly realize you have to move? How can you orchestrate and conduct the whole process efficiently and successfully without causing too much stress to your children? Here are some home moving tips for single moms you might want to explore.
First, you need a plan
Proper planning is the core of each and every moving process whether you are a single mom or you are moving with a large family. It helps you stay organized and keep things under control. Making a moving checklist is the best strategy when it comes to planning. Keeping the checklist at hand will provide you with an insight into how many tasks have been completed and what else is left to be done in the upcoming period.
It is of key importance to remember that proper planning requires time. Ideally, you need to start writing down the tasks at least three months before the moving day. You will have enough time to both make some decisions and reconsider them once again if necessary. As we live in the technological era, you can always consult the internet and find some ready-made checklist you might want to follow or maybe adapt to suit your needs and circumstances.
Figure 2 Making a moving checklist is the first step when organizing relocation becomes inevitable. Alt.tag: A checklist and a marker.
Inform your children about the move
Informing the children about the move might be the most difficult part of your relocation. Depending on their age, children will have various reactions to this news. Arm yourself with patience and optimism to present this new stage in your lives as something positive, full of new possibilities and joys.
One of the things children find particularly difficult is changing schools and parting with their friends. What might help in this situation is taking your children to the new school and the future neighborhood before the moving day. This may calm them down to a certain extent because it will not be setting off to the unknown once the moving commences. Also, try making some plans together regarding your life at the new address. Children tend to see everything unknown as a threat and something negative, so it is in your hands to change this.
You need help!
Yes, you do! And there is nothing bad about it. Even if you have finally got used to being on your own whatever happens in your life, there are already too many things for you to handle on a daily basis to be able to conduct this whole process without any assistance. So, contact your family and friends and ask for help. They can help with decluttering, packing, babysitting, cleaning. By doing this, you will get some free time to spend with your kids, discuss what is expecting you, encourage them to open up to you and tell their concerns, or you can simply relax and gather the strength you need for this complex endeavor.
Include your kids in the relocation process
One of the home moving tips for single moms suggests that including kids in the relocation process is a very good idea. Let them pack their items, choose a room in the new home, maybe suggest some furniture items they would like to have in their new rooms. This will have a very strong psychological effect on your children because it will create a sense of control they need so much now when they are about to leave their comfort zone. Also, it will help you to relax and relieve stress knowing that they have started accepting the idea that the move is inevitable.
Explore all the options carefully
The home moving options at your disposal will highly depend on your budget. Examine the pros and cons of each of them carefully before you make the final decision. Here are the potential scenarios:
- Hiring a full-service moving company – This is the most favorable but also the most expensive option to go for. Full-service movers, like man and van, plan, organize and perform your relocation process from A to Z. You do not have to worry about whether you will know how to choose the right type and size of moving boxes. They come to your door and pack all your belongings carefully, label the boxes, transport all your stuff to the new address, and finally unpack them. You can only monitor the whole process and move in with your children once all the tasks are complete.
- Hiring movers to only transport your belongings – This is a considerably cheaper option but it will be significantly more physically demanding. The movers deliver a container at your address. Then, you do the packing and loading of all the boxes into the container. When you complete this process, you ask the company to come and transport the container to your new home location. When you unload all of the moving boxes, the movers eventually come to take the container.
- Renting a moving truck – This is the option to choose if your financial means are too scarce or you are insanely brave. Packing all your belongings, taking care of your children, and finally driving the truck to your new address will be emotionally and physically exhausting. You will need all the help you can get if you want to make this type of move successful. Bear in mind that your children and you need to get safely with all your possessions to your new home. Can you indeed handle this pressure?
Figure 4Choose the moving option that suits your circumstances and your budget. Alt.tag: A little boy in a cardboard box while packing his own items as the home moving tips for single moms suggest.
Surviving the moving day
Regardless of the age of your children or the moving option you choose, you will want your children to be safe and occupied with their favorite activities far from the movers on the moving day. Hence, it is always a good idea to ask a friend or a family member to babysit for you. If this is not an option, hiring a babysitter will be a good choice despite the additional costs or the problem of choosing someone reliable you can trust and rely on.
A lot of things will be going on in your current home. Your feelings might get mixed up, let alone your children’s while they observe unknown people carrying out the items from a place they used to call home. Let this day be pleasant for them, something to remember with positive feelings and great joy. On the other hand, you will be able to focus on the moving process intensively and with unreserved attention.
A few things to do after the relocation is officially complete
The moment when professional movers leave your new home after finishing with unloading and unpacking of your possessions, you still have some more things to do. If you still have some strength left, you can deal with a simple home renovation, just to give the new place your personal touch. Your kids will be glad to assist you in this adventure and it will be a nice beginning of a new stage in your life. Also, organizing a housewarming party can be very beneficial too if you want to meet your new neighbors and gather all your old friends if possible. The adaptation is a lengthy process, but if you are creative, optimistic and positive about it, you can bear the change much more easily.
Author’s bio:
Vanessa Matthews is a single mom. She went through a very bad divorce a couple of years ago and she had some serious difficulties to adapt to the new circumstances in her life. Now she enjoys writing articles that might help other single moms handle some problems easily. Vanessa has two children, Ann, 4, and David, 7. They all enjoy spending time together outdoors with their pet – a dog named Bandit.
