Family.

I recently did an interview with “Moving Abroad with Children” and was asked the question; do you think families that move abroad are close? If you watch the interview, you’ll see that my simple answer was; yes, we are. But I thought I would talk about it a little bit more, because I think it is something that TCK’s can relate with.

For a TCK, your immediate family is usually the only consistent thing throughout your life. You move around, go to numerous school, change friends groups, live in different cultures, but your family is always there with you. No matter where we were, my mom was always there to talk to, my dad always ready to help out. My brother was always there to annoy me, whether I liked it or not.

You go through the hardships together. The tears of leaving yet another home, the nervousness of a first day at a new school. These are things that bring you close to people; showing your vulnerable side. Moreover, they understand the hardships you experience with every move, and so everyone can help one another.

It is a general observation I have made; that TCK families are closer then regular families. Of course, I only have a few families to model this theory on, and I am in no way saying that "normal" families (aka: families that do not move around every few years) are not close. It just seems to me that the hard times bring a family closer. That is what I see with my family, and I suppose in some way I am grateful for the hard times and the tears, because it means that my support system during those times gets stronger and stronger.