I tell my kids we’re moving to Melbourne. They react accordingly, as you would expect children to do. Between the two of them, they pinwheel through every emotion you could possibly associate with this kind of change.
The general consensus is not what I expected. The Chop is thoroughly excited, almost anxious in his anticipation. He’s entranced at the idea of living so close to the city. He is obsessed with the concept that trams drive right there on the street with the cars!!!
He works out his worries, one at a time. Will the cat come with us? Will we take everything in our house? Will he go to swimming lessons in Melbourne? (Yes; kind of; and probably, yes). To the Chop this is the ultimate adventure and he can’t wait to start a new school and meet new people.
The Bump, however, is timid and fretful. She will miss her daycare, she tells me. She will miss her friends. She doesn’t want to leave our ‘little house‘.
I’d predicted all of this, of course… It’s just that I thought it would be the other way around. That the Chop would be reluctant to leave, and the bubbly Bump ready for a new adventure in a whole new place.
Turns out, I don’t know my children as well as I thought.
I wonder how often that happens. I’m guessing it will happen more and more as my kids grow up. Their mother, walking around, sure that she understands what’s going on in their complex little minds, when she actually has no idea what they’re thinking.
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my elder children are now young adults – 18 years old – and I still surprise myself with things I thought I knew about them ..
Lori, the exact same thing happened when we moved 4 years ago, we were really worried how Miss 5 1/2 who had just started Kindergarten would cope as she was our emotional kid and expected Miss 3 would love it as she was our easy going kid. NOPE, Miss 5 1/2 settled in perfectly and loved her new home and town and didn’t look back, Miss 3 was constantly asking to go home to her real house
It took about 6 months for her to accept this was now home and 4 years later it was the best thing for our family. Hope it all works out for you after such a hard few years.
They will always surprise you. And they will always adapt better then you expect. Good luck!
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It was amazing to me to live through my daughter’s growth into such an independant creature that she is now. At 3, I knew just what she would love to wear…I knew EVERYTHING about her. As she grew and developed her own individuality, though I was always proud, SO PROUD…sometimes it would astonish me and make me a little said at how differently she was developing from me! She became herself…not just my little mini-me. Last year (she was 16), she took one of those Myers-Briggs tests. I’ve taken several in the course of my career…I always come out as an ENTJ (Extrovert-but barely, Intuition, Thinking, Judgment)…my daughter came out as an ESFJ (Extrovert-rampagin, Sensing, Feeling, Judment). I couldn’t believe there were these huge differences in our personality types!
Marianne recently posted…Rotten, stinkin’ 44th Birthday
Little darlins, Bless their cotton socks.
I’m an ex-Melborne girl &I still miss it. She-who-worships-pink loves visiting Nana on Philip Island where we all go to the wildlife park in Cowes & feed the Kangas.(scary & delightful in equal portions being up close & personal with large mamals litterally eating out of the palm of your hands) She also adores the penguin parade, while her mummy just dreams of bumping into one of the Hemsworth boys. Something on ‘the Island’ for everyone!. Hope youre moving around West St Kilda, that was my fav – although I lived mostly in Richmond near the MCG.
Once youre settled, you will enjoy it so much: All that culcha too!
good luck with the move xo
Suzy Mac recently posted…Giddyup!
I am in melbourne (dandenong ranges ) if i can be of help
Frankly, I don’t think they ever cease to surprise you. Good luck with the packing and the move!
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