In itinerant professions such as mine, one of the more common topics of conversation is the effect of our regular upheavals on our families. Uprooting every few years isn't always easy on spouses and children, and on their friendships, education and careers.
I'm fortunate enough to have a spouse whose career is relatively portable. I also have two children who are having very different growing up experiences to their peer group in the UK. Their friendships are more transient, a self-defence policy against the constant cycle of best friends who disappear. They see their extended family far less than I'd like. Their education is broader but less UK-focused; my daughter probably knows a number of other countries' political systems better than she knows our own. And, culturally, these 'third-country nationals' often seem on a different planet, missing out on kids' TV shows, music and other popular culture. Not to mention the transatlantic accent which, thankfully, they seem to learn to switch on and off at will - another defence mechanism, perhaps.
But there's an up-side, too.
This term, the 5th grade class have been conducting various bits of writing, research and presentation around their topic of choice. Cats, horses, cars and football seem to figure fairly high up the list. I expected something along similar lines when I asked my daughter what her subject would be; fairies, perhaps, or dragons.
"Conflict," she pronounced. "Specifically, the situation in Gaza, and how the different people involved see it."
Gosh. So we're not just talking conflict, but empathy and constructivism, too.
A few weeks later, and she's inspired the whole class to get involved in examining the nature of conflict, both global and personal. I'm impressed.
I asked her why she'd gone for such a grown-up and complex topic.
"Well, I'm really interested in what Embassies and Diplomats do, and I think it's important for people to get along with others," was the exceptionally grown-up reply.
A small example, perhaps, but illustrative of the variety of experiences - and consequent breadth of worldview - that foreign service children are fortunate enough to enjoy, in exchange for the disruption and transience. Well worth the trade-off, if you ask me.
I hope my children agree.
Posted at 06:43 26 May 2009 by James Barbour | Comments[2]
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