This workbook is a companion to Lauren Wells’s first book, The Grief Tower. In Unstacking Your Grief Tower, the principles of the grief tower metaphor are broken down into applicable sections for adult TCKs (aTCKs) and each chapter ends with reflection questions and space for the reader to write their answers.
TCK life is full of losses from moving and being in a mobile community where others are coming and going around you. Taking the time to process the accumulated grief is important and this short workbook is a great resource to help with that.
This autobiographical collection of essays was a joy to read. Adele Barlow is a TCK with Malaysian and Kiwi parents who grew up between Hong Kong and New Zealand. Her search for identity and meaning is a very relatable TCK issue and she writes about it in a fresh way, sharing anecdotes from her moves, relationships and therapy sessions.
I’ve read a lot of stories and essays about TCK identity and sometimes get tired of them but I enjoyed Barlow’s writing style and her candidness. I found myself cheering on her progress and eager to see the conclusions she came to in her self reflection.
This up-to-date look at all the education options available to globally mobile families is a fairly quick read but surprisingly comprehensive. For parents wanting to know all the options and their pros and cons, I would highly recommend Wrobbel’s book. She takes an honest look at each option and gives her experienced opinion in an unbiased manner. The appendices at the end also offer helpful education resources.
The chapters include:
- So You’re Moving Overseas
- Intentional Planning for Children’s Education Overseas
- International Schools
- Host-Country Schools
- Homeschooling
- Distance Education
- Boarding School
- One-Room School or Homeschool Cooperative
- Special Education Needs
- Transitioning Between Educational Options
- Educational Planning for the Transition to University and Adulthood
- Living and Thriving in the Host Culture
“TCKs: A Gift To Care For” is an excellent addition to comprehensive books about TCKs. I would say this differs from Pollock and Van Reken’s classic “Third Culture Kids” book in that there is a focus on developmental stages, child psychology and it includes many many practical activities for parents to do with their children. These activities help children to integrate experiences and thoughts into their bodies for a holistic approach to TCK care.
This book is on the larger side (405 pages) which may seem daunting, but it’s used best when you pick and choose the chapters that are relevant to you and your kids. You don’t need to read the whole thing at once but look for the information and activities that are best suited to your current needs. And then open the book again later when you want something else!
Included in the chapters sections are:
- A Gift to Care For
- Transitions and Emotions
- Identity and Beliefs
- Relationships and Globalization
- Stress and Structure
- Grief and Joy
- Developmental and Long-term Goals
- Protection and Boundaries
- Debriefing and Storytelling
- The Power of Getting Together
- What Can We Do?
Available in English and Swedish now with Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish coming soon.
This documentary explores the unique challenges of growing up as a military BRAT, including rapid transitions that doesn’t allow you to fully adjust to any one culture, formation by the military subculture that is unlike that of any specific country, and the impact this has one’s adult life outside of that environment. It consists of multiple interviews with people from several different countries, and footage from post-war Germany and Japan.
This is a wonderful little workbook for children preparing to move. It has tons of space to write and cut out pictures. It’s great for recording everything about the place you live and the place you’re going to move to, and has sections on addressing worries, saying goodbye to friends, saying good riddance to things they will leave behind, and goodbye to the things they’re going to miss. Includes a bunch of fun stickers at the end!
Reading level: age 6-10 years
