Moving is HUGE

My mother moved out to California about 9 years ago...two years after my father died. It was the right move. She and my father had actually wanted to move together. But that's another story.

The move made sense. And it was hard. Her life and the people in it were in New Jersey. 

But my mother, Irene, can be a rock when it matters most. She said, "I want to move while I'm active and can easily make friends."

We all know people who 'had to move' their parents. They could no longer live on their own. Or they needed to be closer to family. But tyring to persuade our parents to make a change when things are already challenging is difficult.

It can turn an exciting change into one that feels sad.

I wasn't easy for my mother to leave her friends, memories and the NJ sales tax. But she had agency. She was the one to carve out the life that she wanted. 

It's so important to have these conversations with our partners and parents well before we have to make a move.Have you ever asked your parents: What do you want from this next phase of life?