The Third Culture Kids (TCK's)

Third culture kids are those who have spent a significant part of their developmental years in a country that doesn’t belong to their parents’ home culture. The phenomenon of being a Third Culture Kid, or TCK, is becoming quite common these days.
According to Matthew Neigh, Executive Director of Interaction International, an organization for TCKs, Third-Culture Kids represent the single fastest growing population in the world today.

As an Expat Woman, I started to look at what is going on in the life of my children and others who are also TCKs.  I began to compare them to their peers who are non TCKs or who their parents do not have any expatriate background. From my findings, it is interesting to know that it is not always easy for the kids just as their expatriate parents. These children though small/young already know that they are living two or more different kinds of lives - the life which they live in their host country and the life which they live at home as regards to their culture or behaviour of people of their home country. All these are at times not always easy for the kids in question. The good thing to know as an Expat Mom is that the advantages of being a TCK over-weighs the disadvantages.
However, I must say that the parents have to play a big role in creating a very good path for these kids to learn how interesting the world is.

These are some of the good things to know about the TCK's:

*They tend to have more in common with one another, regardless of nationality, than they do with non-TCKs. 

*They are often bi/multilingual (familiar with several languages)

*They adapt easily to situations. Due to their sociocultural adaptability, it is said that they get well along with anybody and are more welcoming.

*When given enough academic support by parents, they tend to perform higher than their peers and often make good careers. 
*They are flexible and learn to become more comfortable with change. They are exposed to different ways of thinking, habits and attitudes.

*Third-culture kids are well-travelled, familiar with several cultures, able to enter new cultures more easily, self-sufficient, and have higher level of self-esteem.

According to  Rebecca Glicksberg Skipper ,  Adult TCKs actively seek ways to expose their children to the world’s range of countries and cultures and purposely teach and model the valuable and enduring message that differences among people are cause for celebration, exploration, and respect.

Do you have the TCK's or are you one yourself, what are your experiences? Please share with us.

Challenges of The Third Culture Kids

Every day, as more and more people/families move to different countries because of careers/jobs, etc, one gets to notice that the term 'Third Culture Kids (TCK'S) is expanding.
The Third Culture Kids represents many countries and cultures. They are smart, intelligent, well experienced and exposed (to the world and different cultures), bi/multilingual, open minded, easy to make friends, etc. There are lots of advantages of being a Third Culture Kid but at the same time, these kids face some challenges too.
*Most third culture kids have little knowledge about their home culture. This includes history, family or culture rules in their home country. I grew up to know 95% of my relatives and my relationship to them, but the case  is different with my kids. As we travelled home last Summer, I had to introduce them to their cousins, uncles and aunties, etc. A third culture kid who goes back home for a family reunion will often have to be told about how they are related to their relatives.

* They are uncertain of their cultural identity.

* It's not always easy for them to maintain a certain personality.

*Feeling different from others, difficult in forming peer relationships. This occurs more often at university level or when returning to "home" country, where they are misunderstood by their fellow country men.

For the most travelled ones:

* They have difficulty with commitment to people, places, schools or school system as these constantly change. Constant loss of relationships, loss of community/School = loss of their world.

* They at times feel powerless. They feel they don't have control over events and that these are often taken out of their hands anyway by the inevitability of the move.

* They also have the elusive concept of where is home? The sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere.

* Rootlessness.The problem of trying to define where home is.

* Restlessness. The frequent need to change countries and homes.

* Most of the TCK's have problems with decision making because they don't know what come s next.

If parents understands these challenges, they can always help the TCK's pull through and they will know that they are not left alone. 
With good preparation, communication, support systems, family functionality, the life of TCKs can be incredibly hopeful and beneficial. Like I said, the advantages of being a TCK by far outweighs the challenges.

If you are a parent with TCK's or you are one yourself, or you just want to know more about them, there is a book by David Pollock and Ruth van Reken "Third Culture Kids, the experience of growing up among world". It's an excellent book well and clearly written for anybody or parent who is living his/her life overseas.