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TCK Advantages/Challenges
Below are two links to give further insight into TCK distinctives.
Who is a Third Culture Kid? (Jo Clifford) (Audio 12:55 minutes).
You will need to click the > to start it playing. Jo Clifford was born in Chad, grew up in Tanzania, and returned to the UK when she was 19. She developed the Third Culture Kid programming for MemCare Radio.
TCK Reentry in Audio-Visual Form
This video gives a little window into the life of a TCK.
TCK Advantages
- Increased World Perspective — adjust and work more quickly with people from other cultures
- Creative Thinking — experiences allow them to solve problems in a way that would be considered “outside the box”
- World Citizens — concerned about world events, not just events impacting their home country
- Worldwide Connection — often have friends from every major continent
- Multilingualism
- Self Entertainment — have learned to create their own fun and games
TCK Challenges
- Normal Adolescence — challenging authority, additions, hormones
- Identity Loss — never feeling at “home” while overseas or on furlough
- Mobility — constantly moving leads to rootlessness and a reluctance to make friends
- Pressure to Perform — feeling that “messing up” could result in parents not being able to do God’s work
- Spiritual Warfare — children are sometimes used as an opportunity for Satan to disrupt the ministry
- Educational Challenges — having to live apart from their family at boarding schools or the additional stress of having parents homeschool
- Cultural Disconnect — not being aware of slang, current fashions, movie trivia, TV sitcoms...
- Financial Struggles — hearing parents express concern about finances when churches or individuals stop giving financially for various reasons
- Unresolved Grief
For more information: Culture and How it Affects the TCK
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