"We are a movin' family."

If you don't know how often our family has moved in the last 7 years then click here to gain a bit of background.

About a two months ago, as you probably know, our family arrived in Kansas from Illinois. Moving isn't new to us and once the movers finally arrived we promptly unpacked and quickly settled into our new community. I think I can say that we are all in a good groove here. We've joined a church, visit the local library regularly and everyone has already made new friends. We love this community and we are doing good!

Yip and Yap especially seem to have easily slipped into the groove of the community. So I was surprised when Yip said the other day, "I wonder where we are going to move next."

"Hey! We just got here." I replied.

Yap chimed in, "Yeah Mom but we are a moving family!!"

So...there you are! We are a moving family. We've moved a lot and I know we'll move again in the future. I think it's inevitable with the nature of DR's job and ambitions. When the boys were about three and we moved to Illinois from Indiana, as well as this past move, I worried that they would have a hard time making the transition. We talked a lot about what to expect to prepare them for the move. Obviously picking up and moving halfway across the country hasn't seemed to bother them at all!

Part of me feels guilty though having to uproot our family every couple of years. Of course, I know there are advantages to such a lifestyle. I think our family has become more flexible in dealing with change. We've been able to visit parts of the country we may never have traveled to otherwise because we've lived so many different places. Especially after this last move, I've noticed my boys are much more open to meeting new people...probably more so than me!

But could all this moving be bad for my kids too?? I don't know. I lived in one home from the time I was born until I went to college. I never had to move away from my family. My grandparents were all close by as were my large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. I know for me it was wonderful growing up with the constancy of my family. Sometimes I regret that my kids don't have the family experience that I had.

However, I've realized that times are changing. No longer, or not often anyway, can a person be born, grow up, live, work and die in the same place. It seems to me that my and my siblings generations are going further away for college and are more likely to move away for jobs. My brother is in college in Kansas and I have another cousin at college in Oklahoma. I wouldn't be surprised if neither of them went back home to Indiana permanently.

Back when my parents helped DR and I move back from Delaware to Indiana my dad commented on how much more mobile my generation is than his was. I can see that too. Transportation is more reliable and readily available. Communication, like cell phones, allows for quicker and easier trip planning. We have information readily available all the time with the Internet. Now with Facebook or MySpace we can keep in touch with family and friends better than ever before. But mostly I think it is a mindset. I think my generation feels there is nothing that can or should hold us back, not even loyalty to family or location. I think we are more mobile because we have allowed ourselves to be.

My kids have that mindset already. After I was informed that we were a moving family I asked them where we should move next. Without pausing or missing a beat Yip answers, "Australia!" Well...I've always wanted to visit Australia. Why not live there for a while? You never know Yip, you may get your wish someday.

What do you think? Has your family moved alot? Do you have family who lives far away? How do you handle it? I really want to hear any comments on this subject!