Third Culture Kids

These are the kids who think outside the box.
According to Ruth E. Van Reken, co-founder of Families in Global Transition and co-author of “Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds,” TCKs are people with global perspective. They are “socially adaptable and intellectually flexible” and can appreciate different points of view.

Van Reken recently blogged about President-elect Barack Obama’s “Third Culture Team.”

Obama, who spent some of his childhood years overseas, chose individuals who also grew up outside their parents’ culture or their “passport country” to become part of his administration, Van Reken points out. While TCKs sometimes struggle with their identity, they also are able to establish a connection with the various environments they’ve experienced, experts say. They also offer a unique perspective, particularly in the realm of diplomacy.

Any TCKs out there who want to share their experience and how it has influenced the way they raise children? How can parents expose their children to various cultures while still maintaining a sense of place and an understanding of “home”?