PCS season will soon be upon military families in the United States once more, and this means moving yet again. After so long, the great majority of military families will have making a move down to an art form and have developed a number of relocation rituals to make sure such moves go off without a hitch.
One good ritual is to get your children to make a ‘best of’ book when they are about to leave their current location. Give them a crayon and let them draw pictures of all of their favorite things from their current home, such as their friends, church and school. Let them decide what they want to draw on their own and secure pictures from each move together and bind them so they can be carried forever. Older children can instead make a journal or perhaps a webpage about their memories. A part of making a move is about having to say goodbye, which can be an important step for your child and for yourself.
Another ritual for moving military families is making a donation, such as toys or any clothes that your child may have now outgrown. It is important to get the support of your child in this endeavor and timing matters too; perhaps make the donations a few weeks before you move so the child does not associate moving with his or her things constantly disappearing!
Another good ritual to observe is to drive cross country to the new station, thus exposing you and your child to different American cultures along the way.
Rick Wozniak
