Swiping repeatedly left or right cycles through all three views, while tapping the status bar on top allows you to set profiles (silent, beep, or ringing), adjust the volume, select connections and changeyour online status.
Now, if you frame the move as "a trial for just a few months, " this would changeyour son's status quo (he would still think of himself as a New Yorker, only temporarily trying out the West Coast), and it wouldn't seem like a decision that's so tough to change.