TCKs - Third Culture Kids

Elise and I have two great teenage sons. I realize that every parent thinks their kids are the greatest but I am right.

Today is Bret’s 14^th birthday. We cannot believe how young his parents feel. Yesterday morning he still wanted a ping pong table; a wish he had held for the past month. At 10 AM yesterday he decided that was not at all what he needed or wanted. A bicycle would be much better. We bought the bike. This morning he determined that actually a bike would not be all that great and he did not know what he wanted.

Well, he is in the midst of puberty and is a GREAT young man so some things are best ignored. He gets the bike, some basketball reading material from mom and dad, fajitas for dinner tonight after basketball practice, a little party and cake with mom, dad and loving big brother, money from the rest of the family, and all the love a kid could ever hope for.

Bret and Ryan thrive in Croatia. It is kind of strange having your kids grow up so different from how you did. They travel around on trams and buses in a city of million speaking a language I only kind of know. Sports are based within clubs instead schools. There are almost no fans at any sporting event for kids AND the quality is still exceptional.

Ryan travel about three hours a day to get to school and return home. He still loves the American International School of Zagreb and the 9^th grade. It is very high quality and is providing him with the social outlet and education he needs. He is in a play, the Crucible, which will be performed at a theater in Zagreb on the nights of November 8^th and 9^th. He has also been playing on the high school basketball team.

Bret stays at home for school. We use an online academy called Northstar. It is an accredited school in the USA. He has seven subjects and communicates with his teachers over an email system that Northstar operates. The teachers post their lessons, we download and print them. There are tests, homework assignments, and quizzes. We have been very pleased with the quality of Northstar and Bret loves the freedom it gives him.

There is no travel for school and it gives him all the time in the world to focus on basketball. He plays for the club in our city. He is the sixth man on the 1991 – 92 team. They grow them big here. I don’t remember our team dunking in 8^th and 9^th grade but they do here.

Please, pray for our kids. These are crucial years for them. They are becoming young men and the faith of parents is not enough now. They have to decide to make it their own.