IT Conference--Part 3--Third Culture Kids

Our 2 kids have really enjoyed this conference. Our daughter is the youngest child at the conference and doing really well in the nursery. Our son is at the upper limit of the nursery age, but wants to run around with the bigger kids. He's hung out in their meeting room, as well as in the play area. We don't have swings in Paris, so both kids have enjoyed them here.

There are a lot of sharp kids here. They are all bi-cultural and largely bilingual, growning up in countries and cultures that aren't the native one of either both or one of their parents. I have observed a number of mixed-culture couples with IT at this conference.

Our son's favorite friend by far this conference has been Olivia, the 9 year old daughter of Paris colleagues Todd and Jenny Burkes. She's the youngest of 3 in her family. Like our son, she doesn't have many other kids her age at this conference. So they have ended up revolving toward each other. She's sat with us next to our son at most of the meals recently. She's kept a good eye on her adoptive younger brother. I think that she reminds him of some of his cousins in Colorado.

I've heard other adult MKs talk about how much fun they had at these types of conferences where they were with other third-culture kids (TCKs). Some TCKs have a hard adjustment to the native culture of their parents, as well as to life in general. We will need to be vigilant to do what we can to help their adjustment to French and American culture.