Today I am writing at Babble about kids and transitions and thinking deeper than jet lag. My last post at Babble was also a list and it happened to be nine things. 9 Ways to Celebrate July Fourth Overseas. Maybe I just can’t think hard enough to get to ten.
A good friend was taking her kids back to the US after two years living in the Middle East and asked for advice. This is what came out. I’d love to hear from you, what have you learned/found helpful or unhelpful?
9 Ways to Help Your Kids Re-enter America
- Decide to have an attitude of gratitude. Your kids will pick up on your subtle vibes. Especially when coming from a less developed country, it is easy and natural to feel overwhelmed, even judgmental. Make the conscious decision to enjoy what America has to offer – the fully stocked grocery shelves and the clothes that fit well, English menus, wi-fi, people who love you.
- Don’t attempt to squeeze everything in. American is a land of nearly infinite options and stimulation. Don’t even try to do it all. Enjoy simple things like grass, playgrounds, libraries, bike rides, swimming, and those people who love you.
- Give your kids words. Help them know how to explain where they have come from in their own words, appropriate for their age.
Click here to read the rest of 9 Ways to Help Your Kids Re-enter America
Let them know that no question is stupid. Even as a TCK parent who had lived out of the US most of my life, I was always surprised at what my kids didn’t know when we would be in the US. My daughter found a great solution to ask without feeling or sounding ignorant, she would start out in a very strong accent and say “culturrral question pleezz” and then say ask whatever it was that she didn’t know. Her cousins and friends always laughed and answered patiently.
What a great way for your daughter to be bold and ask questions, and by poking a little fun at herself she probably disarmed people and made them willing to answer. I love that, thanks for sharing it.
Please, please, please don’t arrive on a Saturday and make them go to church on a Sunday. So.hard. Sooooooooooo hard. And also, go out and buy them NEW clothes. Explain what rain and thunder storms are also 🙂 It’s thunder – not the big black bear in Grandma’s neighborhood!
Good words Marilyn. Hear, hear to the new clothes! For mom too.
Good article…such true words and advice and timely as I just transitioned my family of six from Southern Ethiopia to the good ol’ US of A for a few months. Thanks for the reminders. Grace, lots of grace…for our kids, for ourselves, for the country we suddenly feel foreign in.