Raising Cross-Cultural Kids: Forming Identity & Building Resilience

Raising Cross-Cultural Kids

Expert tips for helping cross-cultural kids find their identity & build resilience

by Steve Silvestro, MD @zendocsteve

Perhaps the greatest challenge we all face as we grow up is finding our identity—figuring out who we are and who we want to become.

It’s no easy task—some of us adults (maybe even most of us?) are still trying to figure this out. But the challenge is even greater for cross-cultural kids & teens. Whether they’ve lived in several cultural environments, have parents whose cultures are different from that of where they live, or have multiple cultural backgrounds in their families—cross-cultural kids & teens have a wealth of ingredients mixed in together to create the recipe of who they are.

Their challenge is to figure out what that recipe becomes—and it’s the challenge of their parents to sort out how and how much to help them along the way.

My guest today is Dr. Anisha Abraham. As a physician, educator, and parent, Dr. Abraham helps teens to discover their strengths, focus on their wellbeing, and successfully navigate a changing world. In this conversation, we talk about tips from her new book, Raising Global Teens: Parenting in the 21^st Century.

Take a listen on your favorite podcast app or in the player below:

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In This Episode, We Talk About:

What a “global teen,” a “cross-cultural kid,” and a “third culture kid” are
Eddie van Halen’s childhood as a cross-cultural kid & the challenges faced by other cross-cultural kids
The benefits & strengths of being a cross-cultural kid
Identity—4 different types of identities cross-cultural kids may adopt
How to talk about identity & belonging with your kids
The importance of sharing your own personal stories with your kids so they can learn to be proud of their own
Behaviors cross-cultural kids can display as they experiment with identity
Key strategies for laying the groundwork for good communication with your kids
How cross-cultural kids’ backgrounds shape their world view
Tips to help kids build resilience
How to encourage kids to become the best global citizens they can be
…and a whole lot more!