topics
tools
editor's choice

Learning with the International Primary Curriculum

Remote training for expatriates

Should our kids go native too?

Pre-school activities in Belgium

How expats are learning the local lingo

Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2089.49 -2.47
DAX 6285.75 -2.33
IBEX 30 6440.5 -3.31
CAC 40 3003.27 -2.62
FTSE 100 5266.41 -2.53
AEX 289.16 -2.29
DJIA 12442.04 -0.49
Nasdaq 2832.42 -0.23
FTSE MIB 12960.87 -3.68
TSX Composite 11494.84 0.38
ASX 4118.8 -1.31
Hang seng 18786.19 -1.33
Straits Times 2780.42 -1.53
ISEQ 20 490.11 -1.66
You are here: Home Health & Fitness Healthcare Is your child a 'third culture kid'?

Healthcare

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


08/11/2011Is your child a 'third culture kid'?

Is your child a 'third culture kid'? Experts say that expat children are uniquely placed to develop cross-cultural and internationally mobile abilities, primarily due to their heritage as ‘third culture kids’. Aaron Gray-Block reports.

What is a third culture kid?

Dr David Pollock, author of the book Third Culture Kids, defines his subject as individuals who spend a large part of their developmental years in a culture other than that of their parents. Such a background, he says, stimulates third culture kids (TCKs) to develop a relationship to all cultures, while not having full ownership of any.

Pollock - the executive director of Interaction International, an organisation which works as a catalyst and resource for the development of programs, services and publications for TCKs and internationally mobile families - says TCKs incorporate each culture into their life experience, developing a third, unique culture from the mix of two of more.

"But the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar experience," he says.

According to Interaction International, expat parents should maximise the benefits, while minimising the challenges, to their child to ensure they fulfil their true potential.

Matthew Neigh, associate executive director of Interaction International, says TCKs can become the 21st Century, cross-cultural and internationally mobile workforce. Neigh, a TCK now based in Colorado Springs, says the benefits for children include their development of a three-dimensional view of the world in which media images of different countries carry greater depth.

He says TCKs have a tangible link to such images and a greater sensitivity to the world in which they live. TCKs can also become great cross-culturalists - people who are in more demand than ever before.

"International businesses want people who cannot only survive, but thrive in today's marketplace, regardless of where they are placed," he says. Neigh cites the example of a business executive who is keen to employ more TCKs because their cultural sensitivity gives them advantages when placed in new locations.

TCK


The challenges

Neigh says the migratory instinct that TCKs develop due to their international mobility, makes it difficult for them to put down roots.

"They constantly feel the need to ‘move on'," he says. "This impacts their academic, career and even their married life." Neigh says relationships are a challenge, suggesting that TCKs experience difficulty in discovering deep, lasting friendships.

TCKs also have a tendency to minimise their benefits and maximise their challenges, because the challenges are more noticeable.

He says this is particularly obvious when they return to the country and culture of their parents. Some TCKs suddenly realise they are a "hidden immigrant" because they think differently to that of their parents' culture, defined as the passport culture.

Neigh says TCKs can start to feel like second-class citizens, like victims, because they are classed as foreigners in their host culture, but don't necessarily belong in their passport culture.

But these individuals need to understand who they are, appreciate their heritage and avoid feeling like a victim, he says.

What parents can do

Parents are urged to understand that their children will be different and to accept that their children may want to remain behind in their host country, even if their parents return home.

Neigh says parents will be better off once they realise their child's expat heritage "will give their children the opportunity to profoundly impact this world".

"It is important that parents help their children have a balanced view of the world around them," Neigh says. "To only focus on the host culture or only on the passport culture is a loss to the ‘third culture'."

He urges parents to celebrate holidays from both passport and host cultures and encourage their children to keep in contact with relatives and friends, but not at the expense of integrating into the host culture. In a dual nationality family, both passport cultures need to be preserved, he says.

He also says advises parents who share the same nationality to speak one language in the home, namely that of the passport culture.

In addition, TCKs are more inclined to adjust in a healthy manner if there is a presence of a practical, religious faith. Neigh believes amid a life of transition, TCKs are looking for hope - hope that they will cope and survive all the changes. A consistent faith offers them that hope, he says.

He urges parents to help maintain a child's multiculturalism to develop their cross-cultural abilities, enabling them to make bridges between various cultures.

"If too many changes, differences and languages are introduced too early in life or all at once, it can become so confusing for the child that it all gets diluted to the point where it becomes more of a challenge than a benefit," he says.

Aaron Gary-Block / Expatica

Interaction International, which is affiliated with the Christian Church, can be found at www.tckinteract.net and its website offers a vast resource base, both for missionary families and non-religious expat parents.


2 reactions to this article

Shaz posted: 2011-02-19 07:59:15

Are you a TCK who has moved back to your passport country at some point during your life? If your answer is yes, please do my questionnaire!

http://survey.nottingham.edu.my/index.php?sid=17391

Bog posted: 2012-03-20 17:35:43

Restless TCK still on the road, mixing work with travel.

www.fosterwide.com

Add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



2 reactions to this article

Shaz posted: 2011-02-19 07:59:15

Are you a TCK who has moved back to your passport country at some point during your life? If your answer is yes, please do my questionnaire!

http://survey.nottingham.edu.my/index.php?sid=17391

Bog posted: 2012-03-20 17:35:43

Restless TCK still on the road, mixing work with travel.

www.fosterwide.com

Add a comment
Discussion Forums

Community Noticeboard Belgium

Holiday appartment for rent @Côte d´Azur (French Riviera)

American in Belgium

BUY NOVELTY DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD, PASSPORT

Discuss Belgian Culture

BUY NOVELTY DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD, PASSPORT

Belgian News

BUY NOVELTY DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD, PASSPORT

Community Noticeboard Belgium

BUY NOVELTY DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD, PASSPORT

participate in the forums

Health & Fitness essentials
Health & Fitness expert Q&A
ask your question
Health & Fitness A-Z listings
find the business you need
Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.