1. They will ask your opinion on new houses.

You will receive text after text with Trulia and Zillow links. Mostly, they are just sharing their excitement with you! Your opinion is not actually needed. Speak your mind if something is pressing, but try not to say too many negative things, or clog up the conversation with "OMG I can't believe you want to move that far away! How am I supposed to [fill in the blank of something you are completely capable of doing by yourself] without you?!" Ultimately, they will make the best decision for them. Let them!

2. You may not like the house they choose.

Again, it's their life and their choice. Thankfully, I love the house my parents picked out, but the risk of maybe hating it was real.

3. You're going to be sad.

Whether you grew up with great memories of the house, or a few bad ones, chances are you're going to be pretty sad to see it go. Change is hard. Change is good! But, its hard.

4. You're going to reminisce. Probably too much.

"Remember that time Mom fell up the steps playing with you and ripped open her carpal tunnel stitches and got blood on the carpet?" I asked my brother. "Yep." he said, as he cringed.

"Remember that time I saw a ghost and the neighbors had to come get me?" "Ha yes!"

"Oh remember that time we climbed out on the roof and.." "Oh man. Mom was so mad."

"Remember that time the.." "YES. Please stop."

Reminiscing can be fun but it does get tiresome. Try to focus on making new memories and the new place! Not everyone wants to relive every weird or funny thing that happened growing up. It can make you feel a little sad to let it all go.

5. You'll worry you won't see them anymore.

But, you will. They're your parents. It might be a difficult change from seeing them any time you want to drop-in to holidays and birthdays, but they're still one phone call away. Whether it be by plane, bus, or car, you can still get there to see them if you want to.

6. The home you knew will disappear into boxes.

Every time you visit before their move, there will be more boxes and less stuff. The house will look emptier and emptier until it is finally empty for real. Its very strange. Every time I went over there was less art on the walls, photos disappeared, furniture had vanished. Just be prepared. Cope with this strangeness by complimenting them on all the hard work they've been putting in. Moving is not easy! They have probably been spending every night after work, and every weekend packing.

7. You'll wish you could stop time.

It will dawn on you that the reason your parents chose a ranch house is that they want to live there until they're very old. Then you'll picture them very old. Then you'll imagine yourself somewhere in that scenario and freak out. This is "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" re-imagined with Father Time and aging parents and the speeding train of Death.

Oh my. That did escalate quickly, didn't it? Well, fear not! The best way to slow your perception of time is to spend more of it with people you really love: Your parents. Go see them. Love them better so you won't miss anything you don't want to.

8. You'll realize you're still a little selfish and immature.

"Excuse me, I can't help but feel that by you moving away, you are saying your life doesn't completely revolve around me. There must be some mistake."

"No, dear. There's no mistake."

There really isn't a mistake and you'll just have to grow through it. You've handled plenty of tough things before.

9. You'll still want your parents to be happy.

At some point in the weird, sorry, oddness that will be the sale of your childhood home, you will realize its all for the best. Your parents wouldn't ask you to live somewhere you didn't want to. They would want you to be happy, successful, and do whatever felt best to you. Which is exactly what they are doing. Allow them to lead you by example with grace.

10. You'll learn stuff is just stuff. It doesn't matter too much.

I say as I sit behind my laptop, next to my phone, in place full of my stuff, with my Jeep parked outside. I know. What I mean is, its not the house you're going to miss. Its not the green chair, the dining room table, or the fluffy rugs. You're just going through a transition and its emotional. If the moving truck ended up falling off a bridge or burning to a crisp with all the materials in your childhood memories, it wouldn't matter as long as your family is safe and happy. (In both those scenarios, the movers are totally fine, there were no casualties, everyone has enough to live on, and the moving company had great auto insurance.) So it doesn't matter if the stuff is here, there, or anywhere. If you really love it that much, remember to enjoy it while you're there, visiting your family.