Is it a quaint/eccentric characteristic of just global nomadic families - or is it part of every family - that discussions within immediate families will touch on the legacy of the parents/kids/siblings?
I know that I have thought about that particular issue - what kind of legacy will I hand down? Is that something we create as we go along? Or is that something that just "happens"?
Robin Pascoe, expat writer, covers some aspects of that in the following article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2003/09/22/elkids22.xml. (If you want to read more about, and by, Robin, go to her website at www.expatexpert.com where she offers a lot of insight into the expat life.)
Hmmmm...so much to think about this morning!
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I think that this is a very interesting topic and I need to think about it longer. However, just touching on the topic of legacies, I hope to pass to my child the love of the world, not just from a tourist perspective, but an actual citizen of the world. I hope to pass to her the fearlessness of the TCK spirit.
Although I don't have children yet, I have definitely thought about the legacy I will pass on. I, too, want my children to grow up as citizens of the world. I feel, in a sense, like I own the world; and I want to give it to my children. I have wondered how I would do that if I happen to marry an American and live in the States (my passport country). It would be interesting to see if anyone else has any ideas about that. Is it possible to raise an American kid in the United States (therefore probably monocultural) as a world citizen?
Yes, anonymous, I think you can raise a child in the U.S. as a global citizen. At least I'm counting on doing that with my daughter.
Our local newspaper ran an article on a gal who grew up in a small town and now works in Moscow, Russia. She said she always knew she'd work internationally because her grandparents and parent fostered that interest in the world. Her grandparents were immigrants (German and Swedish) and her parents checked out library videos and books about all different countries. So although she's from a rural area, her interest goes far beyond to the world.
That's really what I want for my daughter--a curiosity and empathy for the world, the world next door and the one which is separated by miles.
Of course, global travel and/or global living is always what comes after the interest which has been sparked.
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