Whether you’re relocating to a different city or just down the street, moving can be stressful. While parents usually have the most difficult jobs, such as packing up the house, making sure the family doesn’t forget anything, and forwarding mail, children often feel the pressures of moving to a new place as well.
Not only do teens have to help pack, but they have to adjust to a new school that may have a totally different culture from their previous school.
It can be difficult to find social opportunities in a new town. You may have missed sign ups for sports teams. Even if teams do allow new players to join mid-season, team members may have already formed bonds over the course of the season or even years if they’ve grown up together. A new class might be in a different place in the curriculum. Little is more stressful than playing catch-up in classes.
As we get older, it seems more difficult to find a place in a new town, especially in a community like Lamorinda, where other students have grown up together. Everyone already knows each other, and you’ll never be able to remember 8th grade graduation like everyone else, no matter how many friends you make.
Moving also means leaving your old friends and activities behind. Even with new social media, it’s difficult to stay in touch, and if you do, they’ll be focusing on different classes and activities at their school. They’ll meet new people, and they’ll want to talk to friends that went to their prom or their game, people with whom they shared that experience.
Make no mistake; I’m not condemning parents who have to move. It might be the best thing for the family, such as a job transfer that will provide financial security. And an adult may have a difficult time transitioning as well. Yet, this does not diminish the struggles children and teens often face.
While moving is difficult, there are a lot of good things that come out of it.
You learn what it’s like to grow up in places other than Moraga. Campolindo is ranked as one of the top schools in California; not every school you go to will have iPads, laptops, and new books, or such motivated instructors, or such community support. This may not be taken for granted quite as much if you have other experiences to which to compare it.
You’ll may also acquire skills that are valuable in the real world, like independence. It demonstrates your ability to deal with difficult experiences, and you’ll be thankful for that experience when you leave for college.
Through personal struggle, you become a better person.
