Emphasize the Positive

We'd been dancing around the topic for weeks.  Whenever Cheeky was in the room and the conversation slipped towards housing and pre-schools, we'd catch ourselves and say, "Ixnay on the Austinay."  We didn't know how Cheeky was going to take the news that we were moving, leaving the only world she's ever known and all her little friends behind.  So we kept putting it off.  And putting it off.

Finally, I saw an opportunity, and, swallowing a boulder-sized lump in my throat, sat her down. 

"Cheeky, remember how Daddy went to Austin a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah!  You were in Austin and Mommy took me to Grandma's house and I went swimming."

"Right.  Well, Daddy went there to look for a job.  I looked and looked and finally found one, and Mommy and Daddy decided that we should all move to Austin together."

"Move to Austin?"

"Yeah!  And we'll buy you a backyard, and maybe a pool, and a super-big new bedroom just for you!  But sweety, you should know that that means we won't live in Brooklyn anymore."

"We're leaving Brooklyn?"

"Yeah. You'll have a new house and a new school, which will be super-fun, but we won't be in Brooklyn anymore."

"But I like Brooklyn.  I don't want to leave Brooklyn."

Gulp

"I like it too, sweety.  Mommy and Daddy both like it here, but this is an exciting new adventure, and we thought it would be fun to have a house for you to play in."

"But can we come back and visit Brooklyn?"

Pause.

"Um, yeah, I suppose we can come back and visit sometimes.  Maybe we'll see some of your friends when we come back to visit.  But you won't see them as much as you used to."

"We won't see them anymore because we're moving to Austin and they live in Brooklyn."

At this point my wife gets teary and excuses herself.

"And we may not see Grandma as much either, but she promised to come visit us a lot, and we'll come to visit her, too."

"Yeah, because she lives in Manhattan."

Ok...ok....maybe she's getting it....keep the momentum, keep the momentum....

"Right. So we won't live in Brooklyn anymore, and we'll have an exciting new adventure in a brand new house with new friends!  And maybe we'll buy you a new bed!"

"Wow!  And can I bring blankie and pillow to Austin?"

"Sure!  We'll bring all your things to Austin with us.  We'll move them all into your big new room and everything will be there for you."

"ALL my things are coming to Austin with us?"

"Sure!"

"And will I have a window in my bedroom?"

I glanced around at the blank walls of her current room.

"Well, yeah, I supposed you would get windows in your bedroom."

"So I can see when it's day time and when it's night time?"

"Yeah!"

"Yay!  We're moving to Austin!"

Whew.