~ Cross-Culture Kids are well prepared for virtual relationships
This pandemic has forced everyone into endless new realities and patterns of interaction. One major shift has been the move of exchanges with friends and family to online platforms to honor social distancing requirements.
Third-Culture Kids/Cross-Culture Kids are ahead of the curve in this aspect of the pandemic. TCK’s/CCK’s are uniquely equipped to navigate online relationships with friends and family because they have been maintaining friendships and connecting with family this way for far longer than most people. TCK’s/CCK’s can connect authentically and online with others more than most people because they have had to develop this skill to stay connected with those who are important in their lives.
They may have only known some family members by their face over an internet connection because they grew up in different hemispheres. Their best friend might have moved away to a mountain village that does not have indoor plumbing but does have internet access. Most TCK’s/CCK’s already know how to stay connected and are comfortable having authentic relationships in these media forms. They place high value on the ability to stay linked, even with limitations that are becoming more obvious to all of us.
Because TCK’s/CCK’s have already been ‘training’ for this aspect of the pandemic, they do not necessarily feel the same loss when suddenly relegated to online networks and relationships during the quarantines and lockdowns. They may instead find they have too many relationships to try to manage virtually. They have not necessarily had the same grief because they have already established an online relational presence with their web of relationships. They know that real genuine relationships can be experienced, at least in part, through a screen because countless connections have already been authentically expressed over social media. Their primary relationships were already scattered all over the globe, so TCK’s/CCK’s were already masters at this type of communication before the pandemic.
This pandemic has augmented how different TCK’s/CCK’s are in a variety of ways. They are facing the same events, at the same time, but their experience is just as unique as it has always been. Unlike the times when they felt very behind others, in this aspect at least, they are ahead of the world as it rapidly tries to learn to maintain friendships the way they have always had to. It gives those who have not had the TCK/CCK experience personally, a small window into one of the especially hard parts of having to live far away from friends and family. Instead of being a temporary inconvenience, this way of communicating is the core of many TCK/CCK relationships.
If you are a TCK/CCK who needs additional care in this pandemic season, you do not have to stay isolated and alone. Parents, we are here to provide extra support for you. If your child is hurting, reach out to them and help them find some extra help. If you or your child would benefit from a consultation, we invite you to visit our care page where we will put you in touch with a therapist who specializes in TCK/CCK care. Find us at youthcompass.org/care/
We are here for you; we can navigate this together.
