| A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is generally being referred to | | | | primary school child still feels strongly rooted in the |
| as " a person who has spent a significant part of his | | | | family and attached to the parents, it can feel very |
| her developmental years outside the parents' culture". | | | | upsetting and stressful for older children. The common |
| Third Culture Kids enjoy a lot of advantages such as | | | | feeling is described as being "different" sometimes |
| an expanded view of the world, a cross-cultural | | | | even "isolated" wherever they go, even in their parents' |
| enrichment of their personality and many additional | | | | cultures. They feel most at ease among other TCK's. |
| language learning opportunities. By meeting people and | | | | Luckily, there are more and more of them in our |
| making friends from different cultures and countries, | | | | "shrinking" world. |
| the child is exposed to different ways of thinking, | | | | As far as the ability to form friendships goes, the |
| different attitudes, habits and views early on and learns | | | | findings about TCK's are mixed. It completely depends |
| that there is more than one way to everything. This | | | | on the child and the role models it has. Indeed, the |
| gives them a mature and balanced outlook on many | | | | frequent goodbyes can make TCK's less willing to |
| topics and a tolerance and respect for different people | | | | bond deeply with new friends, knowing well that they |
| from the early years onwards. TCK's also often gain | | | | might leave again. This is exactly where we as |
| new language skills which enhance their cultural | | | | parents of TCK's play a role in making an extra effort |
| understanding further. As a consequence, TCK's often | | | | to keep up friendships by staying in touch through |
| act as and sometimes even take up the identity as a | | | | email, phone calls, frequent visits etc. We need to |
| "culture bridge". | | | | show them how relationships can be kept and |
| On the flipside, this can lead to confusion about | | | | nurtured across distances. This goes for our children's |
| conflicting values from the parents' home countries and | | | | friends as much as for our own. As parents, we need |
| the host country, even confusion about which country | | | | to place a special emphasis on relationships, nurturing |
| to feel patriotic about. Another common phenomenon | | | | them and making them a priority in our lives. |
| is the lack of deep understanding of home country | | | | There are some unique challenges for TCK's. With an |
| history and culture. While TCK's often show a deep | | | | identity as a culture-bridge and characteristics from the |
| understanding of foreign cultures and customs, | | | | different cultures they lived in, it can indeed be difficult |
| compared to their peers at home, they often lack the | | | | to re-integrate in the home country. TCK's have |
| depth in understanding their own. Common cultural | | | | difficulty to truly fit in again and not stay an observer. |
| items such as popular movies or shows, or locally | | | | When the peers at home become patriotic, the TCK |
| famous public figures are often unknown to TCK's. | | | | may have mixed emotions. That can make them feel |
| When handled well by the parents, TCK's will | | | | very awkward. They might feel more at ease in an |
| experience their time abroad as a positive and | | | | international school even at home. Many TCK's travel |
| enriching time, which allows them to make friends all | | | | abroad again when they are adults and often choose |
| over the world and learn early on how big and | | | | jobs which will take them to different places. They feel |
| interesting the world is. Having to deal with change | | | | most at home in the expatriate communities. |
| early on, often forces them to become independent | | | | Read more about this topic and raise happy multilingual |
| earlier than their peers at home. | | | | and multi-cultural children in the recently published work |
| TCK's sometimes report feeling torn between | | | | book "Make Your Child Multilingual! The 10 Step |
| belonging and not belonging. While they understand so | | | | Success Plan to Raising Bi/Multilingual Children" "Make |
| many cultures and customs, they don't feel they | | | | Your Child Multilingual! |
| properly belong to any one. While the infant and | | | | |