By HPI
Moving to a new location can be very difficult for a family. One way to ease this transition may be to have a photograph wall in your home of friends from each place where you lived. This wall could picture all of the people that matter to parents and teens.
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When moving away, have a fare-well party to say good-bye to friends.
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During the party, get pictures of each friend and information to put on the back of the pictures, such as name, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address.
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Teens can take a camera to school to take pictures of friends before leaving for a new place of residence.
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Once at a new home, designate a specific spot as the new photograph wall. Put up pictures of people brought from the previous home.
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After a few new people have been met, have a party to get pictures of new friends to put up on the photograph wall.
How will this activity promote the parent-teen relationship?
This is a way for parents and teens to show that both of them have to leave friends behind, and need to make new ones.
A picture wall helps to remember old friends and makes it easier to keep in contact.
Adding new friends to the picture wall, or being re-united with "old friends," puts a more positive spin on relocation for the whole family.
At some point . . .
• Put some of the older pictures in a special photo album.
• Make the album a creative memento of good friends and experiences.
• Talk about old times while putting the album together.
• Include written notes/thoughts about these experiences.
• You can each contribute your favorite pictures to the album.