Brian and I always said we wanted to do our traveling while the kids are young. Our thought was to get it out of the way early so the adjustments would be easier. Being a middle school teacher, I knew that once they got to that age it would be much harder on them, of course depending on the child.
This adjustment so far has been the hardest for Caleb. For the first time (of our moves) he is completely aware of everything going on and the majority of the implications. He is showing his nervousness and fears through misbehaving, doing things to annoy his brothers, etc. The day we left for Paris, he knew we were taking a flight that night and he was off the wall crazy. When I talked to him about it and asked him if he was a little nervous, he told me, he was "a lot nervous".
When we got here we talked a lot about how our bodies felt funny because of the jet lag. So if they were acting off, I would ask how their body felt. But 2 days ago, I knew something was up with Caleb again with some crazy behavior. I asked him why he was having a hard time and he told me "my body feels sad because we are moving." It completely broke my heart.
I have found however that letting him know that what he is doing is hard seems to help him feel better. I tell him that moving to a new country is hard, going on the metro and trying to be a really good listener is hard, walking all the time is hard. I think acknowledging that he's having a hard time is helping him feel a bit better and hopefully will help he talk about it a bit more.
All this is new for me too and I'm having a hard time too. It's hard knowing exactly how to help them through this transition. I'm hoping that once school starts (in early September) and we start to make new routines thing will get better. But until then we'll be doing a lot of praying!
This adjustment so far has been the hardest for Caleb. For the first time (of our moves) he is completely aware of everything going on and the majority of the implications. He is showing his nervousness and fears through misbehaving, doing things to annoy his brothers, etc. The day we left for Paris, he knew we were taking a flight that night and he was off the wall crazy. When I talked to him about it and asked him if he was a little nervous, he told me, he was "a lot nervous".
When we got here we talked a lot about how our bodies felt funny because of the jet lag. So if they were acting off, I would ask how their body felt. But 2 days ago, I knew something was up with Caleb again with some crazy behavior. I asked him why he was having a hard time and he told me "my body feels sad because we are moving." It completely broke my heart.
I have found however that letting him know that what he is doing is hard seems to help him feel better. I tell him that moving to a new country is hard, going on the metro and trying to be a really good listener is hard, walking all the time is hard. I think acknowledging that he's having a hard time is helping him feel a bit better and hopefully will help he talk about it a bit more.
All this is new for me too and I'm having a hard time too. It's hard knowing exactly how to help them through this transition. I'm hoping that once school starts (in early September) and we start to make new routines thing will get better. But until then we'll be doing a lot of praying!
Here are the picture of our new apartment as promised! Plus our air freight came today! So we have more toys and their scooters! It is a super scooter friendly city! Yay!
Living room
Between the living room and dining room is another room. I don't know what you are supposed to do with that room, but we are going to use it as a playroom.
They sell these frozen meals that have been a lifesaver for me right now! This one is gnocchi with roasted red peppers, chorizo, and chicken. Yum! The stove is the type where you turn on the gas and then have to light it, every time I'm so afraid I'm going to burn my hand off! I need to find a bbq lighter pronto!
We drink a lot of milk! This is the equivalent of about 3 gallons that we went through in 6 days! I had been really good about not drinking soda, but for now I'm letting myself have the caffein :)
The view from the kitchen window.
I took this picture at 8:30pm, no flash needed! This room is the brightest of the apartment and gets a ton of afternoon light! So far Caleb is the only one who can go to sleep in it.
You're doing an AWESOME JOB validating Caleb's feelings and letting him know that it's hard for you too - that's huge and so helpful! I agree with what you said, as soon as school rolls around and you all get into a routine I bet he will feel a lot better as well. The apartment is gorgeous and I still CANNOT get over that view, I almost can't even look at it! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're doing a great job. Transitions are hard. Caleb is bright and perceptive. He will draw strength and confidence in how you react. Keep lines of communication open. We are praying with you!
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