Books for Parents of TCKs

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After the Boxes are Unpacked: Moving on After Moving In by Susan Miller
Not specifically about cross-cultural adjustment but about moving and the loneliness, trauma, needs, challenges that accompany it. Addressed specifically to women, but applicable to whole family. Organized in three sections: letting go, starting over, moving ahead.

But Mom, I Don’t Want to Move! by Susan Miller
This book gives parents the guidance they need to get their children through the major change of moving. The author provides specific ideas based on the ages of children and the reason for relocating that will make the adjustment to a new house, school, and community as smooth as possible.

Families on the Move: Growing up Overseas – and Loving It! by Marion Knell
About TCKs – how to handle transitions, building bridges between cultures, and re-entry issues. Practical and easy to read with lots of helpful graphs and charts that illustrate the points.

Fitted Pieces: A Guide for Parents Educating Children Overseas by Janet Blomberg & David Brooks, (Editors)
Family educational issues offer the greatest challenge for families living and working overseas. Fitted Pieces is designed to equip parents to make informed decisions for their children that are workable and appropriate for their family.

*New Kid in School: Using Literature to Help Children in Transition by Debra Rader and Linda Harris Sittig.
This parent resource book provides an explanation of the transition process that all children people go through during a move. The authors rely on Dave Pollock’s RAFT model of transitions to provide a framework to discuss the moving process and provide tools for children to make successful transitions during any move, but particularly a move overseas. A book outline, discussion questions and activities are given for 30 children’s books. Recommended reading levels are given for each book, with a focus between grades K and 8. However, the material could easily be extended for use with older children.

Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World by Robin Pascoe
In her fifth book for expatriate families, the author recounts with honesty and trademark humour what worked for her family and shares the hard lessons learned. Here is a book review by Alan Farlin.

Raising Up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids: A Practical Guide to Preventive Care by Lauren Wells
While we cannot know all our TCKs will go through, Lauren shows how to multiply the benefits of a global life and conversely pay attention to the challenges that can become stumbling blocks to healthy development. It gives you practical ways to be proactive about the way you raise up third culture kids. Here is a book review on ALifeOverseas.com.

Serving at the Ends of the Earth: Family Life and TCKs by Steve and Gill Bryant
A complete guide to welfare issues from transition to family life, multilingualism to online safety, and much more with many personal stories included. The educational section considers the many options with their pros and cons, plus long-term planning, special needs, and international school comparisons. The link on the title allows you to direct-order the book from the Bryants by email.

Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock, Ruth Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock
The “premiere” book on TCKs with many insights and recommendations regarding helping them maximize the advantages of their lifestyle and working through the challenges.

Third Culture Kids: A Gift to Care For by Ulrike Ernvik
Moving between cultures brings both beauty and challenge. Ulrike clearly outlines a treasure chest of interactive and reflective activities which can be used to help TCKs integrate and embrace all their experiences into their life story. Individuals, families, and groups may do the activities. Every chapter ends with suggestions for Young and adult TCKs, parents, and sending agencies.

Some annotations were borrowed from Amazon and Google.