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When our kids were very young, we moved twice. We tried to make the transition as easy as possible, with a minimum of stress on them. First, when we had settled our ownership of the new house, which was much bigger than our original, we went for frequent visits. The kids saw the neighborhood and their future rooms, and were happy to look forward to more room, privacy and future fun in a park just a block away.

We took them to the new schools, introduced them to staff and walked them through the building. We visited local stores, and gave them opportunities to pick up some items. We had dinner at a restaurant near our new home, and it became our favorite family Sunday dinner hangout for a dozen years.

On the day of the move, the kids went to their old school by the usual bus. At the end of the school day, we picked them up and drove to the new house and settled in. We stayed in the second house until they went away to college.

For the two aging parents, our move a few months after the kids' departure was even more enjoyable. First, after painting, cleaning and fixing up the house for a week, we were happily surprised when it sold to the second potential buyer. Since we were moving from a large house full of 25 year-old chipped and shabby furniture to a little retirement home 2,000 miles away, we staged a two-week garage sale.

Just about everything sold quickly, and we shipped the rest by UPS to our new home, or packed it into the back of our car. Then we hit the road. We believe preparing for a family move should take careful planning, consideration for every family member's needs, efficient moving day and, as we were fortunate enough to have, good kids and a heck of a lot of good luck.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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