The challenges of children of third culture: a life between the worlds
The challenges of children of third culture: a life between the worlds
The world of expatrated families is full of challenges - especially for the children who are often referred to as "third culture children" (Third Culture Kids, TCKS). Sophie Ménard, mother of five children and experienced expats, reports in her podcast "French Expat" about the joys and difficulties associated with nomadic parenthood. In the past 15 years she has lived in Scotland, Germany, Dubai and most recently in France. In her story, she outlines the unique, but also emotional hurdles that her children have to master when growing up in different cultures. French Morning reports that ...
For children of the third culture, growing up is often a formative but not always simple experience. You have to constantly reorient yourself, make new friendships and cope in different schools and linguistic environments. Sophie emphasizes that these adjustments require emotional effort and often go hand in hand with age -appropriate challenges such as evening tears and difficulties. The speed with which you remove from a place makes it difficult for you to develop a feeling of belonging
As Sophie Ménard note, it is above all the emotional stress that young expatriates bears. They often have difficulty integrating into new social groups. Especially children who move at 10 to 12 years often feel the stress more because they start identifying themselves as part of their peer group at this age. Examples like Juliette, who lived in four countries at the age of 13 and is now resisting the next move, and Juan, who has difficulty making new friendships in Costa Rica at the age of 15 href = "https://ufe.org/article-a-a-laune/elever-un-enfant-de-la-troisieme culture-les-defis/">
Research shows that the process of growing takes place in an interplay from different cultural influences. And this is exactly where the role of parents and social support becomes crucial. Parents can support their children by offering an open ear and helping them to establish new social connections. This could happen by discussions with teachers or the search for suitable leisure activities. The accompaniment of a psychologist, such as Paula Vexlir, can also help to reduce the emotional stress of the children . The challenge of adaptation does not only affect the children, but the whole family. Studies show that the successful integration of expatriate families depends on the adaptation of all members. While the focus is often on the children, it is important not to neglect the parents and their psychosocial needs. Stress factors such as changing jobs and cultural differences can affect the family gang. A strong family feeling of togetherness and good communication skills are crucial for successful integration As can be read in the study ... . The knowledge from research also emphasizes the need for preventive measures, such as training courses before emigration or family consultations, which can make it easier for families to adapt to the new life situation. The right network and support from like -minded people are often the key to success to overcome the feeling of uprooting. is certain: The challenges for the "Third Culture Children" are complex and run through the entire spectrum of their lives. The emotional effort that parents and children have to do must not be underestimated. It remains to be hoped that even more awareness of the needs of these children will be raised in the future in order to enable them to have a positive development in their extraordinary reality of life. The emotional challenges
Family adjustment and support in Expat-Life
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