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Are you taking advantage of the summer to change cities? But do you know the impact this can have on your children? Rest assured, these changes are far from being only negative, and can also forge a stronger child according to several psychologists.
Summer is the season of vacations, but also of moving. This is usually the time when professional transfers take place. Parents often ask themselves a question: how will the children experience this change? In the magazine Good To Knowseveral psychologists give their opinion on this event which has bad, but also good sides.
Learning to adapt to the world
First of all, this is not to minimize the impact of moving on your child, even a young one. The event can be a big change.
“Moving is undoubtedly disruptive. Daily routines are interrupted, friendships are affected by distance and everything feels new.”notes the psychologist.
But it would be a mistake to see it only as a trauma, because children will generally benefit from this family movement. Faced with a new start, children have no choice: they must develop new skills, such as improving their adaptability. For Dr. Joël Frank,“Frequent changes in the environment teach them to adapt quickly to new situations”.
More resilient children
In addition to this ease of adaptation, children who move develop resilience a little faster, a very useful trait throughout life that allows everyone to overcome life’s obstacles. The ability to be resilient “can also look like the ability to analyze a situation quickly to adapt socially”explains Dr. Loo Peggy, in the same media.
Greater curiosity
Similarly, somewhat constrained and forced, children are thus challenged, and must work on their openness to others to create new friendly bonds: “Openness to experience is higher among children who have moved. This indicates a greater Intellectual curiositygreater creativity and greater awareness of their own feelings. They are less likely to resist new ideas,” Dr. Connally Barry assures us in turn.
But mental health to watch out for
However, it should also be kept in mind that this change of direction can also induce some changes in attitudes, which are quite frequent.
“Children who have moved are likely to be more irritable and stressed and are less able to form meaningful relationships with peers beyond superficial connections.”continues Dr. Barry.
A study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, also shows that frequent moves in childhood (especially between the ages of 10 and 14) increase the risk of depression in adulthood. Conversely, a stable environment during childhood could ensure better mental health in children. But here again, everything is relative and there is no point in feeling guilty: a child who is well prepared and well supported in these life changes has no reason to experience them badly.
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