Third Culture Kids

As I embark on a new leadership journey in Germany, after having spent the last 5 years in Spain, my mind is full of questions, wonder, excitement, and worry.  I'm working hard on being a bit of a risk taker, however, I realize my risks (decisions) have an impact on more that just me and my partner.  We have to think about our 7-year old son.  One of the biggest questions I have right now is, am I doing the right thing for my son. 

My son has spent the last 5 years here in Barcelona and it is all he remembers.  However when people ask him where he is from, he says, "Chicago."  He's well on his way to being bilingual in English and Spanish thanks to our strong language program at ASB, in addition to his involvement in dance and music in the local community.  Now, after one of most challenging years, we're asking him to move outside of his comfort zone, join a new school, enrol in activities in German, and most of all say goodbye to the only friends he's known.  I can't help but think, are we giving him the gift of the world, or as he gets older, will he resent some of the decisions we've made.


Yesterday I participated in a workshop presented by two outstanding school counselors here at ASB on Third Culture Kids.  A Third Culture Kid, as defined by Pollock, Van Reken and Pollock is a child of parents who live and work abroad who spend a significant number of their developmental years outside their passport country.  As I listened to the advice they shared about saying goodbye and helping your child with the transition, I began to tear up and asked myself, am I doing the right thing?

Luckily there has been a lot of research done on Third Culture Kids and both the benefits and challenges that come along with this identity.

Pollock, Van Reken, and Pollock list benefits such as:

  • Expanded worldview
  • Resilience
  • Cross-cultural enrichment
  • Empathy
  • Multilingualism
  • Cultural bridges
  • Ability to deal with crises
  • Communication skills
Looking around our world today, observing conflict, war, hate, etc. I can't help but think, yes, this is the type of child I'd like to raise.  Perhaps we need more Third Culture Kids in the world.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 23, 2021 at 11:04 AM

    Hello Jeremy- This is a great book and a story of many of us and our students! We are trying to find your new email at FIS.
    Hope these first few weeks have gone well!
    Take care, Denise

    ReplyDelete

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