(HealthDay News) -- Job loss, promotion, a transfer and other life changes can force families to move. For children, a move can be stressful and accentuate negative aspects of their personalities, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.
To help a child adjust to a move, the academy encourages parents to:
- Emphasize the positive aspects of what awaits at the new location.
- Let your child express his or her feelings and acknowledge sadness.
- Take your child to the community where you will be moving.
- Give the child the chance to participate in decisions, such as the new room color.
- Become involved in the new community yourself.
- Maintain contact with the old community.