While we are parenting our children in a cross cultural setting, it is difficult to know whether we are doing it right or not. One of our best sources of information about how living outside our home culture affects our children is hearing from adult children of PWs. Kim Holland recently shared some insights about her cross cultural experience. She is writing more and will from time-to-time share more with Peter’s Wife. Kim was a TCK(Third Culture Kid). She grew up in Argentina and currently works as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Lawton, OK, USA.
A Mother’s Love
Lea, a long-time friend of Peter’s Wife, shared a wonderful story of love and motherhood in a country torn apart by civil war. I trust you will be as touched as I was by this story of Daudi and his mother.
Diane, Peter’s Wife editor
An especially vicious civil war enveloped Burundi from 1993-2000. Those who suffered the most time were the women, children, and elderly. The following is a true account of a remarkable band of women and a little boy whose life was cut short by a preventable condition. However short his life may have been, he showed all of us that life was a gift that was meant to be lived. There may be many heroes on earth that have received their accolades, this is a story about some unsung heroes.
Contentment
Contentment is the lesson of this season in my life. I’m seeing that contentment is a choice I make. Now we’re waiting for the birth of our first grandchild and contentment is taking on new meaning.
Waiting for the birth of a baby is called expecting. This waiting is a good thing. Babies take nine months to prepare for birth. To cut short this waiting, is to threaten the life of the child. Waiting the full time tries the patience of every mother, but for love of that unborn child, she waits. She is expecting!
Diversity and Unity
At my wedding shower a friend gave me a home-made card, welcoming me to the sorority of married women. Today I was thinking about the sorority of PWs. We are a diverse group, yet unified by our love and obedience to our Savior. In this issue of Peter’s Wife, Kim shares her prayer for the members of the Oaks of Righteousness group with us.
Stress and a Friend
Have you ever felt like a tea kettle building steam, about to blow its whistle? Pressure adds up gradually, then blows suddenly. The expectations of others and our own expectations from within begin the process. People who depend on us and promises we’ve made add stress. Then just when we think things are under control, the unexpected happens. Add to this any illness or sleepless nights and we become brittle.
Living cross culturally adds to normal tension. Trying to make ourselves understood and understanding others is stressful. Climate, traffic, and a different work load take their toll. Social norms that are vastly different from where we grew up means a lot of re-evaluation for every decision. And there are a million decisions! With a lack of support systems, it is a wonder any of us function normally.
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