If you or your partner are a member of the military, it’s likely that at some point you’ll be deployed elsewhere within the UK or even abroad. The process of relocating can have a real strain on you and your family so knowing how to make sure your whole family feels settled is very important.
At Arrowpak, as well as our standard removals services, we offer specialist military relocation services from our HQ here in Brandon, East Anglia. We regularly take care of military relocations which means that we are sensitive to the needs of military personnel and their families. Over the years, we’ve picked up some tips on how to make military relocations easier for your children:
Allow them to feel sad
Teaching your kids how to process emotion is an important part of parenting, but as a military parent, it’s particularly essential. Due to frequent relocations and unfamiliar surroundings, military children are likely to feel down and experience heightened anxiety. Make sure you let them feel sad about moving, talking with you or with a school counsellor about how they’re feeling, particularly within the first three months of a move.
It’s also important to give them something to look forward to so that they can feel sad but also see the light at the end of the tunnel. Depending on age, having a new toy for each new place you move to can ease anxiety and also build up a toy box filled with special memories of each place.
Encourage them to make new friends
Socialising is essential for military children as they often find it hard to make friends due to frequent school moves. Teaching them to feel confident in meeting new people is vital and a great way to do this is to utilise their hobbies; enrol them into after school or weekend clubs where they can meet other children that share their interests.
You should also work with the new school and make sure they set up a buddy system – this will give you peace of mind that they’re not feeling lonely during their first week.
Seek out local, national and international support groups
Service personnel are some of the bravest yet most vulnerable people in our society and so there are plenty of support services available for military people and their families. The armed forces families federations for the Army, RAF and Navy each offer independent advice for military families respectively and are your first port of call for support when relocating. Their overseas bases mean that you can still receive support from a British organisation whilst being deployed abroad.
Similarly, the SSAFA, the UK’s oldest tri-service military charity, has local branches all over the country where you can seek understanding and committed support from armed forces specialists. Smaller, local charities and support groups also exist, such as the Soldiers Charity here in East Anglia.
Bring special belongings with you
Making your new home feel like home is one of the best ways to make sure your children feel settled in a new environment. Whether this is a comforting duvet cover, a treasured toy or reminders of home in the form of photographs throughout the house, your children will no doubt have something that makes them feel at home. Identify what this is with your child and make sure it’s always there for them whilst relocating.
In this case, you’ll of course want a specialist moving service to look after these very important belongings sensitively and make sure they get to the new place securely and on time. Our specialist military relocation services at Arrowpak in East Anglia can help you do this. Our experienced team have worked with global service personnel and their families for almost 30 years and understand the bespoke removals service required. Learn more or get a quote on our website today.
