I have to tell my 16-year-old we're moving to a new state

[Mizmoon]

I'm not looking forward to telling him. I don't want to make him sad.

We're going to have a much nicer house and he'll have a much bigger bedroom, plus a music room and a pool. I hope they'll make him happy eventually.

I want him to be happy ...

[GCP]

1. It's hard, but kids are very adaptable

We did it when our younger was 17 - he'd spent his entire life in one school system up til then.
As long as you're there for him, and he can call his old friends and e-mail them, he'll settle down - hell, he'll be the center of attenion with the girls in his new school for a while - he may enjoy the attention as he settles in.

[Mizmoon]

5. I hope so

We're putting the house up for sale as soon as our tenant moves out on Dec. 1 (we live in a duplex). I suppose I could wait to tell him since it probably won't sell until Jan or Feb, but I don't want him to find out by overhearing us talking about it or something.

He's tough. He'll be fine. Right?

Ugh ...

[AirmensMom]

7. Yeah, he will be fine, Mizmoon.

:)

[AirmensMom]

2. That's no fun.

Moving teenagers is always hard. We did it when ours were 14 and 16. The house, bedroom, and all the nice things might not matter to him if he has to leave his friends. Be prepared for some anger.

Let us know how it goes when you tell him. Good luck!

:hug:

[Mizmoon]

6. We live in half a duplex now

It's an apartment really, but we own the house and rent the other half out. Now we'll be able to afford our own house all to ourselves so the extra space will really be a relief. He's so cramped now in a tiny bedroom that I hope the new space really will make a difference to him. But of course you're right ... friends are friends and it's so hard to leave them at that age.

Thank goodness for the internet - he can keep in touch so easily now. I hope that once we know exactly where our new house is that maybe he can meet some people at his new school through myspace before he even gets there. Maybe ...

[AirmensMom]

11. It'll be fine.

It's just that kids would live in a box if their friends are there. Our girls were going to have their own room and one of the rooms is separate from the house -- a teenager's dream! Pool ... OK, no music room.

Internet will make it a lot easier! I wish we'd had that and the unlimited long-distance phone plan we have now.

I'm sure he'll adjust very well. I'm just saying that he may be angry at first and you should be prepared for that. It's not a bad thing. ;)

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. I'm getting old. At first i read "I have to SELL my 16 year old"

lol....wow. More coffee please.


He's 16. He'll adapt.

[Mizmoon]

4. No takers

All potential buyers say, "Sixteen! No thanks. Too many hormones!"

:P

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. LOL But he has low miles, right?

"1989 model male Adolescent, Low Miles, snazzy looking, recent brain improvements (school) house broken (or breaks things in houses) Body in good shape, interior can improve with time. All papers and maintenance records. Asking for understanding or best offer."

I moved a lot when i was younger. If he has a hard time about it because he is going to be leaving friends, tell him he can embrace this as the adventure and challenge that it is or he can be miserable. Making new friends is an experience that can test him, but he'll survive. Teenagers are resilient.


Add that to the sales line "Resilient, apparently flexible"

[DainBramaged]

8. Taking him from his friends is the worst

And it can be even more difficult if they're life-long friends.

Material things never replace friends, because friends are made, not bought.

I wish ya luck.

[Mizmoon]

9. Thanks for the comforting words

[DainBramaged]

12. Sorry, my best friend had to move his family

And the first words he uttered when he called me were how lonely his kids were. And they were Sophmore and Freshman year highschool.

[Mizmoon]

13. Again, thanks for sharing

[NewJeffCT]

14. Kids are resilient

while it might not be easy at first, kids have a great ability to adapt.

[crispini]

15. I had to move when I was a sophomore in HS.

It was really horrible. All of the kids there had went to Junior High together and knew each other. I think I can safely say that the first year I spent in my new high school was one of the worst in my life. I did make some new friends eventually, but I was quite miserable for that first year, and I lost touch with all of the friends who I'd grown up with, which I really, really resented.

Honestly, if I could take that move back, I still would. I feel like instead of graduating with the peers I'd grown up with all my life, I graduated with a large school full of mostly strangers.

(Sorry, just telling you about my personal experience. Which sucked.)

[Blue Diadem]

16. Hope it all turns out ok.

I'm sure it will. He will naturally be sad about moving away from friends but I'm betting he'll have no problems making new friends quickly. He may also want to keep in contact with his present friends which is much easier now with email and chat.