Are you moving overseas soon and your teenager son or daughter isn’t willing to engage in the relocation? Is he or she pretending to ignore the fact that the family will be moving abroad in the near future? Read our four easy tips to motivate teenagers for an international move! For sure, you must recall your teenage years. The ambivalence between still wanting to be a child and the desire to already be an independent adult, the mixed feelings, the confusion… Imagine that to this age-related issues, you add an international move. This is how your teenager sons or daughters will feel when you tell that they have to leave behind their friends, school, and neighborhood to start a new life in a new country. Moving abroad at this critical age isn’t easy, neither for the teenagers nor for the parents. However, it’s vital that you encourage them to think positively and to involve them in the move. But how to do it? Check our tips for moving with teenagers Listen to their concerns Taking time to sit down with your son or daughter to talk about the international move is an important step in the moving process. Ask them how they feel or if they have any fears. You might also want to share with them some of your insecurities, however, showing them that you try to focus on the positives and the benefits of the move. Share move information Don’t try to leave them out of the move preparations. Keep them updated of each process of the move, how the arrangements are going, new information that you might receive about the destination… Let them feel you are “a team” and that they are an important part of it. Give them responsibilities Having responsibilities belongs to the adult world and teenagers are eager to become adults. Give them a list of tasks to do (from organizing their bedroom packing to taking care of the pet during the moving day). Teenagers tend to be more digital-savvy than the parents, thus, it can be a good ideal to get them do some research on multitude of issues concerning your destination (the best neighbourhood in which to buy or rent; driver’s license information, school systems – which are the highest rated; places to visit…). Be positive One key factor in the move success is your attitude. “If parents adopt genuine enthusiasm for the change they are about to embark on, they can truly enrich their children’s world by supporting them through the rough stages ahead,” said Elizabeth Perelstein, President of School Choice International, Inc. “Expatriate children are known to be more self-assured, more adaptable, as well as more open-minded.” It may sound obvious but when preparing for the relocation, don’t forget to consider what the implications will be for your family as a whole and how each person will feel, especially teenagers. Being fully prepared will help you to support everyone through any difficult times ahead. Do you next extra support? See how we can help you before, during and after your move.