How To Thrive In Raising Your Kids In A Culture That Is Not Your Own

Raising your kids in a country that’s not your own?
I SOOOO get that ’cause…me too! My husband is Belgian, and we live here in Belgium , but I’m American. Even though our son is being raised in a European culture, I don’t want him to miss out on his American heritage. We’re lucky, especially if in these CoVid times, we can make it to visit the States maybe 2x a year. We hope that’ll change in the future, and that we can take our son to a real, live baseball game, among many other iconic American past times, but nothing is for certain.

So…what do we do?!

So, how DO we help raise our multicultural family with experiences from both cultures? We keep it simple. We BRING the culture to them – inside our own home.
Are you in the same boat as us? Then follow along, as we are about to share with you some of our top tips ⬇️

Tip 1: Watch children’s entertainment programming from your home country

Help introduce your children to shows you grew up with by finding them on the internet & enjoy watching as a family together! ⭐️ Bonus: if you’re also trying to teach your child your native language – this will help!

Tip 2: Watch historic movies

Besides watching children’s shows, viewing historical films together would be a great way to teach your children about the origins & beginnings of how your country was founded & established

Tip 3: Read stories from your country

There are different legendary tales in every culture that are passed down from generations. Bring the ones from your home country in your own home & share the stories with your kids

Still reading?! Good, ’cause here’s a Bonus Tip‼️

Tip 4: Check out local experiences that may bring the cultures together

Who doesn’t love getting out of the house & exploring with their littles? Now, time to blend some culture in!

Many ways you could do this are…
– Restaurants – food or dishes from your culture 🥘
– Museums – with stories, artifacts or exhibits on your culture 🎟
– Zoo- with animals from your home country 🦓
– Monuments – potentially celebrating a connection between your cultures🗿
– Concert – showcasing music 🎵 from your home country

Our desire is to help as MANY families as possible with this post. Do you know other families who are struggling with this too? Share this post with them so they can incorporate these tips into their own homes.

Oh, & comment below with your own ideas 💡-INCLUDING the top stories/films & shows from your native culture!

Come connect with us and share your story at @TheCleymans. Talk soon guys!

-Kim & Cheyanne