A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is generally being referred to as " someone who has spent a substantial element of his/her developmental years beyond your parents' culture" ;.
Third Culture Kids enjoy lots of advantages such as an extended view of the planet, a cross-cultural enrichment of these personality and many additional language learning opportunities Creole Konprann. By meeting people and making friends from different cultures and countries, the kid is exposed to different ways of thinking, different attitudes, habits and views in early stages and learns that there's multiple way to everything. Thus giving them an adult and balanced outlook on many topics and a tolerance and respect for different individuals from early years onwards. TCK's also often gain new language skills which enhance their cultural understanding further. As a consequence, TCK's often behave as and sometimes even occupy the identity as a "culture bridge" ;.
On the flipside, this will cause confusion about conflicting values from the parents' home countries and the host country, even confusion about which country to feel patriotic about. Another common phenomenon is the lack of deep knowledge of home country history and culture. While TCK's often show a deep knowledge of foreign cultures and customs, compared for their peers at home, they often lack the depth in understanding their own. Common cultural items such as popular movies or shows, or locally famous public figures tend to be unknown to TCK's.
When handled well by the parents, TCK's will experience their time abroad as an optimistic and enriching time, which allows them to make friends throughout the world and learn in early stages how big and interesting the planet is. Having to cope with change in early stages, often forces them to become independent prior to when their peers at home.
TCK's sometimes report feeling torn between belonging and not belonging. While they understand so many cultures and customs, they don't feel they properly participate in any one. Whilst the infant and primary school child still feels strongly rooted in the family and mounted on the parents, it can appear very upsetting and stressful for older children. The common feeling is described to be "different" sometimes even "isolated" wherever each goes, even inside their parents' cultures. They feel most relaxed among other TCK's. Luckily, there are more and more of them in our "shrinking" world.
As far as the capability to form friendships goes, the findings about TCK's are mixed. It completely is dependent upon the kid and the role models it has. Indeed, the frequent goodbyes can make TCK's less willing to bond deeply with new friends, knowing well that they might leave again. This is often where we as parents of TCK's play a role in making an extra effort to keep up friendships by residing in touch through email, phone calls, frequent visits etc. We need to suggest to them how relationships may be kept and nurtured across distances. This goes for the children's friends around for the own. As parents, we need to place a particular focus on relationships, nurturing them and making them a priority in our lives.
There are some unique challenges for TCK's. With an identity as a culture-bridge and characteristics from the various cultures they lived in, it could indeed be difficult to re-integrate in the house country. TCK's have difficulty to genuinely easily fit in again and not stay an observer. Once the peers at home become patriotic, the TCK could have mixed emotions. That could make sure they are feel very awkward. They may feel more relaxed in a international school even at home. Many TCK's travel abroad again when they are adults and often choose jobs which will take them to different places. They feel most at home in the expatriate communities.