The Third Place

“For ‘Show and Tell’ this week, each of my students talked about a famous person from wherever they call home,” Gibson says. “One student from England talked about the Beatles, and another child talked about Edmund Hillary, a famous mountain climber from New Zealand. It’s important to give third-culture kids a chance to create these connections.”

Another issue, particularly for children with parents from two different countries, is that third-culture kids may have to juggle multiple languages and cultures. For example, a child attending one of Shanghai’s international schools, with parents from Germany and China, would likely have to manage different traditions, value systems and languages.

"In their teenage years, third-culture kids grow up a little faster because they feel they’ve seen so much more of the world"

At the same time, many third-culture children benefit from the opportunity to become multi-lingual and gain a strong global perspective.

This also tends to help them mature more quickly, says Weber. “In their teenage years, third-culture kids grow up a little faster because they feel they’ve seen so much more of the world, and they have a more mature outlook because they have a broadened perspective.

“When they’re adults, many don’t feel they have to be tied down to one particular country, and they’re more likely to take jobs that require them to travel.”

And Nora’s family – who moved from Tokyo to Shanghai looking for a new adventure – has seen many advantages with their travelling household.

“I’ve sort of grown up different from all my friends back in the US,” says Nora. “Because of my dad’s Japanese roots, we take off our shoes when we go inside the house. I also had this friend who only ate pasta, salt and butter, and white bread with jam and butter – nothing really adventurous. But when we were growing up, my parents cooked all kinds of different meals.”

Her mother, Silvia, says that her daughter’s mixed background and travels have made her more flexible and open-minded.

“She explores, welcomes differences and her mind isn’t frozen to do just one thing,” she says.

“I think as parents of third-culture kids, you have to stay true to yourself. Define what you think is important and make it non-negotiable. That way, your children can feel there’s a foundation to who they are.”