Karly Wagler
April 17, 2024
Moving to a new home or welcoming a new baby are both monumental moments in life, each with its unique joys and challenges. As parents, navigating these changes while raising children requires patience, flexibility, adaptability, and a supportive environment.
Whether it’s packing boxes or preparing a nursery, involving the kids in age-appropriate tasks can foster a sense of involvement and excitement. Setting up familiar spaces in a new home or preparing siblings for the arrival of a new brother or sister can be an excellent opportunity to teach cooperation. While it might be chaotic at times, it’s essential to create moments of calm and routine amidst the transition, ensuring the children feel secure and loved during these significant changes.
Embracing this new chapter, whether it’s relocating or expanding the family, also calls for open communication between spouses. Taking moments together (couch time or date night) to regroup and talk about your goals and plans can help reduce stress and give the children a visible sense of your togetherness.
Raising children is a beautiful journey, but it can become challenging during significant life transitions like moving to a new home or welcoming a new baby. My family has had the opportunity to do this a few times in the last three years.
Here are three valuable tips on maintaining your home during these transformative times.
1. Embrace Routine and Flexibility Children thrive on routines, which offer them a sense of security. During transitions, establish a flexible daily routine that accommodates the needs of those in your family. Mealtimes, bedtimes, and even short playtime activities can provide familiarity to little ones and provide a sense of comfort during changes.
2. Open Communication Intentional couch time (setting aside 10-15 minutes to sit on the couch as a couple after a workday while the children are awake) or date night with your spouse during a new transition can be not only helpful to you and your spouse, but to your children as well. Talking through changes or plans you might have can help prevent misunderstandings and reduce unnecessary stress in your home. Having your children see Dad and Mom making time for each other gives them a visual sense of your togetherness and can help eliminate parenting struggles you may be having.
3. Delegate Tasks and Seek Help Don’t hesitate to seek assistance or delegate tasks when needed. Enlist the support of any family or friends for childcare, help cleaning, making meals, or various other tasks while you are in transition. This extra little bit of help can provide you with the time and energy to manage your home efficiently, plus it gives family members a chance to spend time with your children, whom they love dearly!
Raising children and maintaining a home during transitions can be demanding, but with routine, flexibility, communication, and involvement, you can create a stable and loving environment. It’s okay to accept that things might not go as planned, and most importantly, celebrate these milestones as a family. In the midst of these changes, the love and support provided by parents serve as their kids’ anchor, nurturing a sense of security and family togetherness for the children as they go on this shared journey into a new home or with a new addition to the family.
Remember that adapting to changes takes time and it’s essential to be patient, kind, and loving to those in your family as you navigate transformative times all together.
“Strength and honor are her clothing; she is confident about the future. Her mouth is full of wisdom; kindly teaching is on her tongue. She is vigilant over the activities of her household; she doesn’t eat the food of laziness.”
Proverbs 31:25-27
Karly Wagler and her husband John both grew up in homes that raised their kids using the principles in the parenting class, “Growing Kids God’s Way”. They have been married for 5 years and have 4 children, ages 3, 2, 18 months, and 2 months. The Wagler’s live in SE Iowa.
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