Introduction

Last week I (re-)commenced life as a stay at home mum!  I did take time off when Miss May arrived nearly 2 years ago and it was a very special time without question, but it was a merry-go-round of feeding, sleeping and …. poo!  By18 months Miss May was so full of energy and enthusiasm and every day I cursed myself for not being able to better balance the demands of work and home… in essence I failed to make room for both and as a result both suffered.  So Hubby and I agreed I would resign and spend 2012 at home with Miss May, making a mess and exploring Singapore!

I came across the term “Third-Culture Kids’ through a friend of my Husband who is an Australian teacher living and working in China – his youngest, who speaks fluent Chinese and has lived in China her entire life, apparently thinks she is Chinese… or at least seems to prefer the idea of being Chinese over being Australian.  All this is of course very cute coming from a blond 4 yr old!  

As I’m sure many parents who have moved their families overseas will attest, there are wonderful benefits to bringing up kids overseas.   Potential language opportunities, increased family unity, cultural acceptance and awareness to name a few.  However, what I was initially surprised to hear about are the potential feeling of displacement that Third-Culture Kids can battle later in life.  In particular that when it comes to moving home a Third-Culture kid is likely to feel a sense of loss, can struggle to fit (back) into life at home, and will likely miss their host country, where they spent their key formative years and formulated their special brand of self!  Indeed there are experts who have dedicated their professional careers to research and awareness of these issues.

Our daughter “Miss May” came to us through adoption, and I feel some characteristics shared by Third-Culture Kids may not be too dissimilar to concerns I already harbored for her as an adoptee and this has strengthened my resolve.  So I hereby dedicate this blog to the following ambitions for my daughter in the coming year and beyond.

1.      To learn about the global community we are part of here in Singapore and beyond through experiential, hands-on, fun activities
2.      To establish strong relationships with our family and friends back in Australia with the help of technology, story telling and art activities.
3.      To make new friends and learn from other parents who might share their own ideas…  (yes that is an invitation!)
4.      To strengthen the bond between the members of our little family with laughter and shared experience!

So I hope you will follow our journey and look forward to hearing from you soon!