Each year, I pick some TCK quotes to pass on to parents. Some of the quotes are poignant, some funny, but most of all - I think they are wise. The third culture kid is not a single person with one viewpoint; instead it is kids all over the world, each with their unique story and journey. All these unique stories share one thing - a perspective on life that has developed through living outside of their passport cultures.
The quotes I share today reflect that life and can help parents as they seek to raise their children outside the places that the parents call 'home'.
[Note - I have credited the quotes to those who were willing, the remainder are anonymous.]
Enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts through the comments!"Take the Lego and never, ever, ever, sell the dollhouse." Marilyn Gardner
"Where are our regular relationships, our connections? All over the map, and still in motion. It might depend on the week, on the season. We track them with social media and when they disappear for a while, we look in familiar places for them to resurface. We load into the car with the members of our tribe that we can gather and we stop in and visit the ones we can reasonably reach on the way to and from our destination." On Being Local from Michael Pollock"Remember, our grief will not look like your grief. What we miss may not be the same as what you miss."
"I never felt so foreign as when I was surrounded by people who thought I was one of them." Maria Lombart
"You may be reentering, but we are not reentering. We are "entering" - this may seem small to you, but it is a big distinction."
My Opa stood by the train tracks, huddled deep into his jacket in the cold Dutch winter. We'd snapped a quick photo together, I'd climbed on the train, and waved goodbye. I didn't realize it would be the last time I would see him. As (third culture kids) grow up, we learn quickly that to say goodbye is an expected part of life. We leave without a tear because we know, there will be many more goodbyes ahead. Maria Lombart #FIGT17NL
"Your home is not transferrable to what is home to your children, and neither are your feelings or experiences. Sounds very simple, but it is very hard to live by." Eva Laszlo-Herbert
"Don't expect your children to have the same feeling of belonging to your culture(s) and language(s) - whatever they choose doesn't mean that they don't love and respect you." Ute Limacher-Riebold
"Remember that kids and parents see the same event through different lenses. A child only knows part of the story, and interprets meaning from what they know. As they grow, they may need to hear the part of the story that was hidden when they were younger."
"Parents should not be surprised by their children's future life choices based on their own choice to raise their kids overseas. For a parent who has raised their kids overseas to make the statement: 'I wish you would settle down!' feels uniquely unfair."
"The part of the story you don't know is the most important part - it gives meaning to your memories." Marilyn Gardner
"Loyalties will not look the same and be divided. The expectation that kids loyalty to place, to food, to nation, to sports teams will look the same as their parents is a false expectation. " Anonymous
Finally - a note of encouragement: All parenting is complicated, so don't immediately assume things are difficult because of the life overseas and third culture kid factor. As parents we make career and vocational choices based on what we know at the time. To forever heap guilt on yourself doesn't help your kids. Instead, continue to listen well, respect, create a sense of place, and love your kids.
Readers - what would you add?