Rooted, Resilient & Ready:
Preparing Singaporean Third Culture Kids for Home
by Sharon Khoo
“Why is re-entry to Singapore so hard?”
So many parents of Singaporean Third Culture Kids (TCKs) ask this question!
TCKs are children who have lived for a significant time outside their parents’ home culture. They often struggle to settle into Singapore life, which can surprise parents who regard Singapore as “home”. In fact, re-entry to Singapore may well be the toughest transition in a Singaporean TCK’s life!
Most of the existing literature about TCKs is written from a western perspective and directed at western (mainly American) culture, and not always applicable to Asian/Singaporean family culture and society. Some of the literature seems to suggest that the negatives of being a TCK are an unavoidable burden to be carried throughout life, which seems unnecessarily pessimistic. Suggestions for ways to prevent the negative outcomes are limited.
This book aims to help TCKs embrace their TCK identity and uniqueness – their ability to make friends across cultures, their somewhat atypical outlooks, and all the varied experiences which have moulded them. They may never be “typical” anywhere, but they can be happy and content to be exactly who they are!
In this book, parents of Singaporean TCKs will find a wealth of practical suggestions to:
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incorporate Positive Childhood Experiences in TCKs’ lives
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equip TCKs with resilience to face and overcome re-entry challenges
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help TCKs develop a healthy self-identity and sense of belonging
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teach TCKs how to make new friends, especially when entering a school or starting National Service
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apply lessons from the experiences of those who have lived through these transitions
The Author
Sharon Khoo is herself a TCK, having lived in Scotland for over two years as a child, and can still remember the challenges of transitioning between different countries and cultures.
She and her husband, with their two daughters, lived away from Singapore for over a decade, returning when their daughters were in their teens. The girls made smooth transitions to Singapore schools, and are now living and working in Singapore. Over the past years, she has been involved in advising Singaporean families planning to move overseas or return, mostly about how to help their children prepare for the transition back to Singapore culture and the education system.
Sharon has a BA (Jurisprudence) from Oxford and an MA (Library and Information Studies) from Loughborough, which have been somewhat useful in her role as mother of TCKs as well as in various ways while living overseas! She is now a freelance copywriter and copyeditor. Her proudest achievement is helping to keep the family going through all their many relocations, and watching her two daughters grow up and transition well when they returned to Singapore.
Print copies: Email singaporetck@gmail.com to order. Price: S$20 + shipping.
Ebooks: Scan the QR codes or use the links to purchase ebook versions! Price: US$8.
Amazon Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/Rooted-Resilient-Ready-Kindle
Google Play (EPUB): https://tinyurl.com/Rooted-Resilient-Ready-EPUB
Fill in the Contact form to ask any questions you might have about TCKs returning to Singapore!