Bonnie asks:
What do you do to encourage your kids in your host country? We have been here for a year and our kids have had it hard getting made fun of and having kids tell them they don't want to play with them because they're not from here. There are a handful of friendly kids in the neighborhood and at their public school but more often than not they have a hard time. I offer encouragement but feel like I come off as being trite sometimes. What are some things other moms have done?
That is so hard! Our kids have lived here their whole lives, so they haven't experienced this as much, but they still have times where they feel left out because of their language abilities. It has been helpful to plan playdates for them -- both with local kids but also other missionary families. This takes the pressure of the kids to initiate friendships at school or church since you are helping them out by inviting the kids and their moms over yourself. We also are all encouraged but getting out and doing something fun as a family, especially something unique to our host country as a reminder of how cool it is that we get to live here!
ReplyDelete