Help! My Family and I Are Moving to Ft. Worth Texas Area - and I Am Scared!

I just moved to Southlake (my kids go to Keller schools) from UT, and we LOVE Texas. My realator knows this area well, contact me if you'd like her info.

Keller is solid- you may also want to consider North Richland Hills- but there are A TON of homes in the area, so you shold be fine.

You are going to LOVE Texas.

If you are moving out of Arizona, you are doing the right thing! The schools will be much better in Texas, where you are going. Enjoy!

I moved alot when I was growing up and the one thing my mom did that I remember was she got our home together quickly. Pictures up, boxes unpacked, all done right away.

Because of this, I always felt "home" and safe, especially after those first few stressful weeks of starting at a new school. (And my mom worked, too. She made the time to do this, even if it meant staying up late. As we got older, we helped unpack.) It took away some of the chaos that ensues when you are moving, and made it feel like a calm, safe place. I've always remembered that and now that I have kids of my own, I am so grateful to her...

The other thing she did was listen. She sat down at the table after school and listened to us talk about our day. Lots of hugs, reassurance, but my parents also tried to get us to see the "adventure" in all of this. Instead of presenting the new move with dread (which I'm sure they did dread it!!!), they tried to give the positive side of it all.

Moving sucks, there is no graceful way to put it. It's scary, stressful and overwhelming. I've been to the D/FW area so many times, I love it there and I'm sure you will find the people of that city to be friendly and gracious. It sounds like this was a difficult decision for you and your husband, but I hope it goes well for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

Here's another vote for Keller! We've been here 5 years, left AZ 6 years ago but spent a year on the other side of the metroplex before landing in Keller. Schools are GREAT! Very welcoming town, close to everything, very convenient - equivalent to Chandler, in my opinion. Southlake/Grapevine are also nice, but a lot more like Scottsdale.

One thing to keep in mind when looking at houses (if you are buying) is property tax. When we moved here the P&I payment part of our mortgage would have allowed us much more house than we could get in AZ, but when we looked at adding the property tax in the payment jumped by a lot. Our house in Gilbert (same size/price as our house here) had property tax of about $1200/yr; we pay around $6000/yr for our house here and we have a homestead exemption which lowers our taxes.

You have nothing to worry about - Ft. Worth is a great community! I am a native Houstonian but I love Ft. Worth - the have a great zoo (either free or half price on Wednesdays) and beautiful parks - especially around the TCU area. Everyone is friendly and the weather is georgeous - especially in the fall. Good luck with your move - you will end up loving your new home in Ft Worth.

I can only make suggestions regarding the kids. My family moved overseas, to 2 different countries. First with 2 kids and pregnant and then with 3 kids and had another before coming home. No, it's not easy but preparing them for it is important. They need somethings to get excited about so find things to do in the area once you get there, plan them and do them. We recently moved from MI to AZ and we found the children's museum, aquarium and grand canyon area to get ideas on what to do (my big kids are ages 9 and 7 -- grade 4 and 2 so just behind you, little ones are ages 4 and 2). They were psyched to go because we planned things like a vacation, looked at their school's website and found out what things they had planned for the school year. It was scary but now that they are in school, they love it and say they would never go back. They bounce back faster than we do from these things and tend to forget they ever hesitated. If they are prepared for change and have something to look forward to, its easy whether its across the state lines or around the world. Reward them for their patience and willingness to change and you may be pleasantly surprised at how well they adapt.

I hear You P.. We moved a lot when I was kid and it was always nerve racking to start over. So when I started my family i decided I didn't want to move them, but life happens. We didn't move, but my youngest had learning differences and didn't do well in public school, so I had to make a few moves with him anyway! The best laid plans.......

You know what I discovered. We kids were resilient. My Mom was stressed out and unhappy about the moves and I believe that may have affected us the most. So I know this is hard for you, but Fort Worth is a very nice place. I would expect the kids to be kind to your children. I would suggest joining clubs, etc.... for both you and the kids. Find activities both in and out of school. Down here that's where everyone makes friends. School has been in session for less than a month so it shouldn't be too late.
The second one of your kids meets someone they get along with.....invite that child over, and maybe the Mom too!

Good Luck!

I live down the street from Keller (like 5 mins) and my mom lived in Keller with my younger siblings a couple years ago. It is a GREAT city and they have excellent schools! Or, Hurst/Bedford (where I went to when I moved here) was pretty good. My dad was in the military, and moving sucked! Make sure they can be "penpals" with their friends in AZ....

I will read the answers to your question with interest, because we are in the same position. I am the primary breadwinner in our family, and was told 2 weeks ago that either we will relocate, or I will be laid off. I, too, am worried about what it will do to my kids. My husband and I can see some huge upsides to moving (we don't love the town we live in now, and moving will allow my husband to have a better job too, actually). But of course, the kids just started their school year, and are involved in ballet and different school activities. I hate to pick up and move them mid-year.

But, moving mid-year is better than being homeless, which is our other choice. The kids aren't happy about leaving their friends, but the deal I made with my older daughter is that she can go on Facebook every day (supervised, obviously) to chat with her friends, and we have Skype so she can also have video chats with her friends. So she is okay with that.

The other thing we have been able to do (we have to move about 3 hours' drive from here) is take the kids house-hunting with us. Granted, they haven't come with us every time, but because they saw the kinds of houses and neighborhoods we were looking at, they were excited. They enjoyed deciding which room would be whose, which side of the bathroom they would each put their things in, etc. We have been watching House Hunters on HGTV and watching how other families choose their new homes, and that the kids look happy in the new house, etc. Basically just showing them in so many ways that moving will be okay.

But yeah, no matter what, pulling the kids out of school and having them start somewhere else mid-year is hard. You're not alone! :-/

This may sound like an off-the-wall suggestion but what if you were to homeschool the rest of the year, and then figure out schools, houses, etc. once you've gotten there and gotten settled for a bit? Many states now have online schools (ours is Florida Virtual).

If you go that route be sure to seek out a local homeschool support group and attend a meeting.

When I was a kid I moved in 7th and 9th grades and it was AWFUL! The worst part was trying to fit in with people who had been together since kindergarten. I still do not feel that "connected" to either of those places (though my parenst still live in the second location).

That being said, I was adamant about keeping my kids in one school and maintaining stability. Didn't work for either one of them (for very different reasons). We really hit our stride with homeschooling and wouldn't go back. So . . . staying in one place isn't always the answer either.

Kids need a CONNECTION - the best connection is their family,JMO. No matter where we go or what we do - we always have our base - us! That's the best foundation there is imho.

You are going to love Ft. Worth! It is a great place to live. Very family oriented and offers a lot of culture for adults and children. Plus, the weather is much better than in Scottsdale :)

I moved around a lot - went to 12 schools in 12 years. I am just fine!

Good luck and congratulations on the job! Not everyone has one - including me.

I live in S.W. Arlington near Kennedale and Mansfield. We love this area! We lived in Ft. Worth for 3 years and moved here to Arlington 5 years ago. We have great parks, pools, streets are well-maintained, etc. Although we are in Arlington, we border the Kennedale isd so my daughter (4th grade) goes to Kennedale schools and her school is rated "exemplary". I would highly recommend this area. Welcome to Tx!

my kids and I have moved around a lot. we kinda joke about it, and we have settled down recently. i think what you said about being scared yourself will affect the kids. hopefully you can trust that you're making the right choice and everything will fall into place. with technology being what it is today, the kids will be able to stay in touch with their friends as they make new ones.
So, my advise to you, is have fun moving and the more your own attitude shows that this is a good choice for your family, the more the kids will feel the same.

I lived in keller for 5 years and did like the area and schools very much. However, I did move around a bit for a while after that and I tried to do the best I could to keep my kids in the same school. My kids were younger at the time and it was a LITTLE easier because 2 of them weren't in school yet. My daughter had the most difficult time. I prayed so hard for her. We made our final move last year when I remarried...and ALL my children are doing fabulous now!

I guess the point of sharing my story is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do because it's what is best for the family. And we survived and so will you. It is not easy and I told my children that we would not move again unless it's the Lord's will. Now, I myself am bound and determined not to move anywhere else, within God's will. My 3 kids have had enough and so have I.

Some of the things I tried to do was to maintain our routine, let them have more say in how their new rooms were decorated, and talked positively about our new home. I allowed them to bring the majority of their belongings, if not all. I didn't sort things, just packed up everything. It was important for them to keep the most precious possessions close to them.

Welcome to Texas. Fort Worth area is more family oriented than Dallas, in my humble opinion, and it does have cultural things. I really like the science and history museum!! And the zoo is one of the best in the country. Chin up! There'll be some adjustment but you and the children will make it your own.

I haven't moved with kids, but I think it can be really hard on them. We have moved a couple of times recently and it is hard as an adult to make new friends in different places. It sounds like with a couple of more recent moves they probably remember the challenges too.

To help them, maybe an address book for each of them that they can collect all of their friends addresses and/or phone numbers so they can try and stay in touch with their current friends. It's not the same, but it can be fun writing snail mail letters back and forth and waiting for the next one to come. That will give them something to do while they are still working on adjusting to their new home. Also since you are buying a house maybe let each of them pick something new for their room or help pick out a new paint color in the room that will be theirs. If it is allowed, send them to school or any activities they do with a camera so they can get pictures of our their friends to put in a special book. They may enjoy a going away party, just to celebrate and have their friends over before you go. Depending on the neighborhood you move too, maybe have some neighbors, especially if they have kids, over to get to know everyone.

Hope all of you do well on the move and enjoy your new home once you make it through the transition period.

Welcome to the DFW area. We live in Plano/Allen with is North of Dallas.

I know our family oriented area with great schools and things to do is not where you are looking to have your home. I have heard Ft. Worth does have some good schools and there is also a lot of things to to there as well.

We love the area. The airport is so handy and easy to fly in and out of DFW and Love Field.

We have enjoyed Bass Hall, Stockyards, and some good dining in the Ft Worth area. There is a lot to do in the DFW area. I suggest exploring Ft Worth and Dallas to get a feel for all of the great things this area has to offer. We enjoy the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Texas Rangers and Frisco Roughriders. Frisco Roughrider games are a favorite for our family because it is a smaller venue and much like a social scene. LOTS of fun.

I wish you success with your move.

we just moved to tucson Az from Arlington tx 6 months ago..and we have 3 kids 11,9 ,and now 18 months..dfw is a good place to live, lots of things to do..what part of ft worth are you looking into? i believe ft worth schools have uniforms, because some of the schools have gangs..as well as dallas schools..if you would like to msg me, i would be more than happy to help you, and i also have tons of friends and family there. i would definitely go online and do some research, keller is great, north richland hills area, parts of arlington ( south west arlington, near lake arlington is great!!) i am also familliar with the schools in arlington and ft worth.

I can't help with any suggestions about kids and moving - I'm sorry ! But I have lived in the FW area all my life. It's really a GREAT place to be. So much to do and for kids. I can suggest you look at Mansfield as an area to live. It's about 20 miles southeast of FW and is a great town ! Our schools are awesome and the town - while growing - still has a small town feel. It only takes 20-30 minutes to get into FW. Dallas and Arlington are also easy to get to if you need to. PM me if you want some more information or ideas on things to do. Welcome !

I live in the DFW area and I just wanted to say WELCOME! This is a wonderful area to live, raise kids etc! Lots of things to do here and you will love it! I grew up in IN and moved to TX when I was 15 (and I'm fine) we've also lived in FL too and this is our favorite place to live. I live closer to Dallas so I don't know the Fort Worth area well but I've heard good things about Keller. Good luck in your move.

All I can say is it will be difficult, but you will all be fine. We are military, and have moved a lot, and yes, it is always hard on the kids. I try to make it out like it is a new adventure, but I know it is scary to have to make new friends in a new place. Try to stay up beat, and act excited for the big change (even if it is only an act), and remember that you will adjust, and so will they, even if it does take a little time. Familiar is safe and easy, that is why change can be so very scary, the hope is always that the change will be worth it in the end.

Hi!

Well, first of all, we're jealous. :) We were relocated to Mesa/Gilbert about a year and a half ago from DFW. We miss our friends and family, of course and are trying to get back.

Keller and Roanoke are good places to live... I have many friends and family that live out that way and in Trophy Club. Grapevine/Colleyville are super nice and Southlake as well - but pricey. I don't know much about the schools except that they're pretty good.... but I think you'll find that it's pretty family friendly out that way. You may have to drive a bit more than you're used to for things like shopping.

As far as the kids go, I don't really have any advice... we moved with a 15 month old, so she's in a little different place than yours. :) Good luck! Enjoy the green! :)