Kid Stuff

Having a house built can be stressful. But the move-in can be just as stressful if not more so for a family. By partnering with author Gabriel Davis, one builder has taken extra steps to try to help home buyers with children through this stressful process with an extra focus on helping the kids.

John Laing Homes, Newport Beach, Calif., will give a copy of Davis’ book, The Moving Book: A Kids’ Survival Guide, to home buyers before they close escrow. The book helps kids cope with moving into a new home and neighborhood by turning it into a positive experience.

William Probert, Laing’s vice president of sales and marketing, says John Laing Homes came across astounding statistics, including some in a study by the Employee Relocation Council, which re-ported that moving is the third most stressful experience for anyone, behind the death of a loved one and a divorce. For children, moving can prompt sadness from leaving old associations and fear from starting over and making new friends, which often threatens their sense of security.

The Moving Book: A Kids’ Survival Guide suggests activities that involve children in the moving process. It also provides kids with postcards to send their new address to friends in their old neighborhood.

"The overall goal of the program is to help alleviate the strain and stress that many children feel from moving," Probert says. "And, of course, if a home buyer’s children are feeling excited about their move to a new home, it frees the parents to be excited, too. The ‘Kids & Moving’ program allows us to demonstrate to homeowners that we are aware of and understand the impacts of moving and we’re here to help families get ready to make a big move into a new neighborhood."

Probert says sales offices throughout Laing’s nine divisions nationwide have re-ported that parents are very thankful for the book.