How many times did you move as a child?

[loves to dive]

Never lived anywhere longer than 3 years until I was 21 years old. Let's see: Born in Cucamonga, CA lived there and moved to Pasadena when I was two until 3. Moved to Del Rio, Texas and lived there from 4 to 6, in two different houses. Moved to Macon, GA and lived there 1/2 year then moved to Manchester, GA where we lived through 4th grade. Moved to Toledo, Ohio where I went to one school 5th and 6th grade then went to Jr. High (7th grade) in the same school district, then we moved to a different house in another school district where I went to 8th grade, which was middle school in that district. Then we moved to Albuquerque, NM where I went to 9th grade (Jr. High) then went to high school in the same district but the Jr. High I went to split the kids into three different high school districts so not everyone went to the same high school and the high school had people from different Jr. highs. Summer before my senior year we moved to Saudi Arabia, where I lived until about December when I went back to Albuquerque to finish high school. I moved back to Saudi Arabia and lived with my parents in camp out in the middle of the desert for about a year, then I moved into Jeddah for two years. Then I moved back to Georgia, I lived in my parent's house (they were still in Saudi) for about 6 months then got my own place until I met my now ex-husband and got married. I moved to another town same area while we were married, and after the divorce (2 years) moved back to the town I lived in before we were married. Lived in my parent's house with my infant son for about 6 months (by this time my Mom had moved back to the states because she had Lupus but Daddy still worked in Saudi) and moved into a place of our own for about 2 years. Moved to Clearwater, FL with my son to live with my Mom for about 1 year then back to Georgia. Lived in a duplex for about 2 years until my Mom moved back to Georgia when my son and I moved in with her. Lived in that house for about 2 year until the owner sold it, moved to another house for about 2 years until the owner sold it then bought a house. Lived there until I moved in with current DH into a duplex, we lived there for about 2 years, then rented a house for 2 or 3 years then bought the current house we live in. At some point during the early childhood years we lived in Montgomery, AL for a short period, probably less than a year and I don't remember it and lived in Ringgold, GA (where my mother is from) for about 6 months but again don't remember it. That was probably before the move to Macon. My dad was not in the military but we had 6 kids in our family and our parents were a bit of nomads, Mom loved to read the want ads and was always finding Daddy a different job and up we would move. I loved it, getting to start all over again and see all sorts of different places, some of my brothers were o.k. with it, some not. I've lived in the area I live in now for over 33 or more years and actually hate the area but life dictated I stay here when my son was young and then DH wouldn't live anywhere else since this is where he went to the University of Georgia, so here I stay. He promises when he retires we will move to Palau, which is a little group of islands in the South Pacific and has some of the best diving we've ever done.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Just once. The new house was less than half a mile from the old one. I continued to attend the same school and all of us kids were able to walk to the "old neighborhood" to spend time with our friends from there. Not very traumatic.

I remember there was a 6 month stretch in which my aunt lived in 3 different houses, all within 4 digits of each other in addresses LOL

 

[Meriweather]

3 times

 

[lovin'fl]

Once, at age 6.

My kids have moved several times and lived in 3 states. But they have been in same house for 8.5 years now.

 

[brockash]

So, between the ages of birth to 18 (or whatever age you left your parents home), how many times did you move? Were they good experiences for you or did you dislike moving? Do you wish you could have stayed in a certain area/house? What was the motivation for the move - remarriage, job, bigger house etc?

I only moved twice as a child. Once because my mother remarried and once because we needed a bigger home. I've never been particularly good with change, so I didn't like the moves at the time. I realize now that at least one of them was a good thing. We moved all within the suburbs of the same city, so it wasn't a huge cross country move or anything, but it did require me to change schools. That was tough, especially as a teen.

My children have all grown up in one house, in one town. Going to the same schools. Some days I think that's a good thing, some days I think it might not be horrible to shake things up! They'd hate it though!

I only moved twice out of city/state - I moved a total of 3 times, but once was in the same city/school district. I don't like change and totally admit to being a huge baby about it, but both times were really hard. Honestly, the first time was kinda traumatic for me. I totally get that it shouldn't have been, but it was as it just took away my total sense of security etc. The first time I moved was due to my mom getting remarried and the second was for a better job. In the end it ended up being fine, but at the time it was really painful. I'm now married to someone in the military and my own kids move every couple years. I am always in such awe at how good they are about it. They def. don't like it, but they do wonderfully and they've never seemed to have any real issues with it which def. makes it easier for me (I'm sure my mom must have felt so horrible when we moved). I still don't love moving, but it's def. much easier than when I was a kid and in school.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Technically twice but I was an infant the first time.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

8 times before I graduated from high school, once I was out on my own, then I moved another 13 times, but mostly just around Colorado. I've been in my current house for 11 years now, and no plans to move until I need to go to a retirement community.

 

[Dis703]

Our family moved 3 times when I was a child and then I moved out on my own when I was 17, so I moved 4 times total before I was 18. The first move wasn't a big deal. I was 8 and we moved a few miles away. It meant a new school but that didn't bother me. The second move was a pretty bad experience. We moved from a city in a middle class area in FL to a small town in a very HCOL area in NJ just before high school. There was nothing to do and no transportation to get anywhere which was very different from where we came from. Mom never could find a job and we couldn't find affordable housing so we went broke pretty fast. It was awful. Then we moved back to FL when I was 16. I wasn't thrilled to be leaving my friends but overall wasn't too upset about going back. After about 7 months I decided to move back to NJ on my own. I couldn't find a job and had one back in NJ. I wanted my independence. So that move was a good choice for me.

 

[DVC-Don]

Three. Although the last move was only a half mile.

 

[powellrj]

5 times. The last time killed me and 40 years later I still miss my old home town. I have wanted to get back for 3 years and have begged my family to take me back home for the day. I am just at the age I want to see my roots. This summer is the year I get back!

 

[AppleDumpling]

Never but I moved to a new room a few times. Grew up with 5 siblings in a 4 BR house. My parents always had the master bedroom but us kids switched bedrooms as the family grew and older ones went away to college, etc. so all of us spent some time in each of the 3 other bedrooms. And whenever we changed rooms, we got to paint and redecorate which was fun.

 

[mickeyboat]

(Not counting moves from one home to another in the same city)

From MN to another town in MN when I was 1
From MN to MO when I was 2
From MO to MN when I was 3
I changed schools in 3rd grade in MN
From MN to MO in the middle of 3rd grade
From MO to KS in the middle of 5th grade
from KS to VT in 8th grade
From VT to NC in 10th grade

There were a lot of good things about moving so much, but a lot of not so good things about it. College applications required references from someone unrelated who had known me for over three years - and there was really no one. I was pretty good at making friends, but I missed out on having lifelong friends. Moving in high school really sucked, especially since I had a boyfriend (to whom I am now married ). And my younger brother did not do well being uprooted so many times.

DH and I have chosen to not move our kids. We brought them home from the hospital to the same house they live in today, and we do not have any plans to move until after they graduate.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I lived in 4 states as a child--so those would be the more major moves, but I only recall the last two (I was 8 the last one). I am not sure how many addresses we had when I was a young child (at least 5) but from Kindergarten on I had
7 by high school graduation (not counting my host family m sophomore year in High school since that was not a move)

From K-12 I attended 9 different schools (including when I was an exchange student, but we lived in a different city that year, plus the surrounding summers, so I would have been in a different school even if I had not gone away on exchange).


I neither liked not disliked moving around a lot--it was all I knew and just how things were. I was kind of always the new kid, which didn't bother me since I did not know what it was like not to be.

A few of the moves were job related (mostly my mom'y company closing offices and wanting everyone to move to one city, then reopening some of the offices and letting them move back, etc). At least one major move was simply going where my parents had always wanted to live, and many other smaller ones were financially motivated when rent prices jumped, etc.

My husband never moved as a child, when we were in college his parents finally moved--they built a house on a lot adjacent to his childhood home.

DD19 lived in 5 US states plus Germany before turning 18 (she is now in college in a 6th US state), DS17 has only lived in three US states plus Germany :lol
With one exception, when DD was a baby/toddler---we have always just lived in one home in each place though.
We have been in one place nearly 7 years now (we will be moving to a nearby town at the end of the year---finally buying a condo and no longer renting), but, ironically due to a variety of issues my kids attended 4 schools each in the time we were here and not moving so that was a lot in and of itself.

 

[E&Cmom]

Technically once but I was only 6 months old when we moved into the house I grew up in.

 

[Ilivetogo]

So, between the ages of birth to 18 (or whatever age you left your parents home), how many times did you move? Were they good experiences for you or did you dislike moving? Do you wish you could have stayed in a certain area/house? What was the motivation for the move - remarriage, job, bigger house etc?

I only moved twice as a child. Once because my mother remarried and once because we needed a bigger home. I've never been particularly good with change, so I didn't like the moves at the time. I realize now that at least one of them was a good thing. We moved all within the suburbs of the same city, so it wasn't a huge cross country move or anything, but it did require me to change schools. That was tough, especially as a teen.

My children have all grown up in one house, in one town. Going to the same schools. Some days I think that's a good thing, some days I think it might not be horrible to shake things up! They'd hate it though!

I moved 9 times before I was 12 (do not remember any of my schools from my youth) and then when we finally settled in Florida, we moved 2 additional times within the same town. I finally stayed there long enough to be in the last half of Jr. High and then graduated HS there.

Then went on to do many things in my life and up till the present, I have moved a total of 30 times.

Getting ready for one more move in a couple of years BACK home to my house in Florida to help care for my mother.

 

[Jaya]

We only moved once and, luckily, I was able to stay on at the same school. I was a very shy child and I wouldn't have easily adapted to a new school and new friends. As it was, I attended the same school for 12 years, much to my relief.

 

[eliza61]

Once. lol, we jokingly gave my father grief from moving us from Manhattan to the foreign land of Queens. I remember my boyfriend (at the time) wanted to break up with me because I was now a "bridge and tunnel" girl.

 

[leebee]

We moved once, when I was a year old. My parents got married, moved into an apartment in their hometown, and had me. On my 1st birthday they signed the papers on the house that I grew up in, which was about 15 minutes away from their hometown (and my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins). My mom sold the house the year I was 28.

DD has lived all over the place. Born in San Francisco, moved to a Boston suburb at 3 months. Moved again (same suburb) when she was 10 months. Moved to MI when she was 22 months. Stayed in Michigan until she was almost 6, then lived in PA for 1st and 2nd grade. Moved to an apartment in Bangor, ME for 3rd and 4th grade, then to a rental house in our current hometown for 5th grade. THEN we bought a house in our current hometown when DD started 6th grade. She thought she was never going to "be from anywhere," but we've been in this house for 12 years now. She moved out for college but is back this year- and looking to move out permanently this summer (boyfriend will graduate).

 

[RustManFan]

zero moves. went away to another state for college for a few years and then back to hometown with my family. My sister owns and lives in the house I grew up in and which my carpenter dad built. Right through the woods is the house that my maternal grandparents had built in 1940 and where I spent many many childhood and young adult hours. Now I own that house!

So nice for my DD and DS to grew up in these 2 houses that have so many family memories...

 

[puffkin]

Right before I turned 5 we moved from my parents small "starter" home to the home I grew up in. So I lived it that house my entire school life.

My younger brother died in a car accident my senior year of college. The next year my other brother and I both moved out and my parents decided to "downsize". They actually ended up building a bigger house, but its a one floor layout and better location.

My DH and I had a starter 2 bedroom home and then built our current home 2 years later. We have been there 11 years now and my kids have been born and raised there. We don't have any plans to move until retirement or once the kids are out of the house if we can work remotely from a warmer climate.

My DH grew up with a very similar situation, moving once when he was in 1st grade. I always liked that about my childhood and plan to give my kids the same stability.