important to create an ‘ersatz family network of good friends in similar circumstances,’ to continue making an effort to
communicate in their native language,
and to ‘create traditions.’ In other words,
it is important to try to give TCKs what
they might naturally have if they did not
move around: a sense of community and
rituals that celebrate life’s special moments.
Even in the best of circumstances, however, raising a mini global nomad is not
easy. According to TCKid.com, ‘a nonprofit community of over 21,000 members dedicated to help TCKs connect
and find a sense of belonging,’ typical
TCKs feel ‘out of sync’ with their peers,
are restless and lack a sense of home.
Even very young children can feel the effects of an international move, with GGI
survey respondents reporting that their
children experienced regressive behaviour, difficulties eating and sleeping and
anxiety about making friends and transitioning to new schools.
On the positive side, however, TCKid
cites studies showing most TCKs are linguistically gifted, feel that they can get
along with anyone, and are more mature as teenagers (although they may
ironically take longer to grow up once
in their 20s). This is borne out by our
own readers’ experiences: GGI mothers
reported their children were excited to
learn new languages and explore new
cultures, meet people and try local