Moving to Oklahoma City--It's A Family Affair

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

Toddlers

Toddlers as well as preschoolers aren't a lot of help, however they are so fantastically amused simply by empty cartons, rolls of tape, as well as bubble wrap that you just do not mind. Provide a four-year-old free rein with packing materials and you can blow through their things before they get uninterested and commence eating the packing peanuts. In all seriousness, give your littlest children a carton and a little tape and get to work. Ask them which toys they want to donate to pals or share with different youngsters they do not know--it's a little item that assists them to feel like they may have a bit of say in the process.

Elementary Age

For those who have kids in this age category, they're in the perfect position--old enough to be hard workers, although not so old that they've strong points of view. Here are several chores a 3rd grader can certainly complete.

· Sort through their stuff and determine what to donate.

· Put cartons together, arrange packing materials, put color-coded labels on boxes.

· Put giveaway items in bags or boxes.

· Help empty closets and also shelves to prepare for the professional movers.

This is a good age group to talk about contributing gently used games and toys to charitable organizations, and also to discuss why you select the ones you do. When the non-profit you select possesses a thrift shop, take your youngsters in and let them check out what it looks like.

Middle School

Pre-teens and also teens are in theory capable of really pitching in, however it might take a little imagination to make that occur. These children are departing from pals, sports, and school, and could be more motivated in small-time sabotage than genuinely entering into the swing and packing up the basement. If you wish to resort to bribery to get them on board, it truly is sort of a modest price to pay.

· Offer to permit them to pick the paint and furniture for their new rooms.

· Obtain their input on what they'd enjoy to have in a new house. Obviously, they should be reasonable, yet inform them their views make a difference. Inquire about back yards (trees, playhouses, space for a swimming pool), basements, recreation rooms, as well as other items that may be on their wish lists. If you evaluate houses via the internet, show them what you like as well as what you do not--and express the reason why.

· Market gently used things and divide the earnings. Try different selling websites to figure out which companies work most effectively. Most websites require that sellers be 18 years of age, so you will need to set the profile up and control the listings, however your teens could take the photographs, upload them, and write the product descriptions.

· Go the garage sale option and permit them to organize the tables and put price tags on items.

High School and College

These are the challenging years--it can be tough to move at any age, however it is extremely hard for high schoolers. The good thing is that even though they are quite upset, they're of sufficient age to perform a bit of hard work while they pout. Here are several items your teenagers can perform to pitch in.

· Help with disassembling furniture.

· Smile and let them decorate their rooms precisely like they desire. They're leaving soon enough, and you could always repaint.

· Get up in the attic and get items down--teenagers tend to be more nimble than their mom and dad (and the majority of professional movers will never enter the attic).

· Drive loads of things to the thrift stores or the dump. Cover their gas and junk food on the way.

· Set up excursions back to see good friends or proceed to arrange for friends to come visit.

· Let them to sell their own things online if they are more than 18 and keep the profits.

· If you hold a yard sale, let them take care of the cash and the online sales.

Be honest--if you've got kids in college, it's entirely likely that you've previously transformed that bedroom into a workout room or an office. Whenever your university students are home on a break before you move to Oklahoma City, be certain they go through all their old bins of stuff--you'll still need to move them, but maybe they will purge enough to cut back on the quantity.