Moving and Relationships

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by: William Patterson
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Each year Americans are moving intercity, interstate and abroad. Chasing the American Dream is forcing people to migrate. Such a movement has its effects, some good and others not so good. On the downside, moving is at the price of the social well being of the traditional American family. A conventional American family consists of at least two generations living together, with the elders living in the same house or in the same city. This model is still prevalent in rural America but is becoming scarce in the cities. Better economic prospects in states other than that of original residence are forcing the Americans to take a hard choice. These choices include moving away which has an adverse effect on their families. More often than not, moving hits the elders of a family the hardest. The choice to move usually involves leaving behind the elders. This results in a sudden loss of known family social circle, an ‘empty nest syndrome’ which has a deleterious effect on the psychological health of the aged. Families moving sometimes opt to put their elders in old age homes and institutions for the aged so as to concentrate on their aspirations. Some senior citizens cope up with this ‘banishment’, while others find that sadness and melancholy dominate their lives. It is not that just the elders are affected. Children too feel the adverse effects of moving. The young lose the opportunity to imbibe the traditional values and lessons of life, which can best be passed by a time-tested oral tradition. Moving to a new place consumes finances. Relocation involves a careful management of your budget as well as your various insurance policies. A move abroad requires far more careful financial planning than an interstate move. The financial health of unitary families is also affected. The children’s need to move may well be financed by the parents thus increasing their burden. The children on relocating get busy with their own lives and the thus the established social fabric also undergoes strain. Intra-family and societal relations are affected by migration. The vacuum created by loss of family members requires to be filled. If this vacuum is not filled by a suitable role model, children may fall into bad company and also may require psychiatric help at a later stage. Ever wondered why the psychiatrist has become such an important figure in daily lives of Americans? The answer possibly lies in migration, which is causing disarray in the American social structure. So should we as Americans reevaluate the way we have become or continue to chase the eternal rainbows - that’s the question that needs answering.

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