Have you ever considered living abroad, moving every couple of years? Would you do it with children? If so, your children would likely be Third Culture Kids (TCK’s), and there would be many advantages because of it. TCK’s often adapt better to change, learn new languages, and make people their home instead of attaching to places. 
     Most TCK’s make their first move before the age of nine. By moving so early in life, they learn to be adaptable. “A 2011 online survey by Denizen, a publication targeting TCKs, found most of the 200 participants made their first move before the age of nine and had lived in an average of four countries.  Most had degrees — 30% had a postgraduate qualification — and 85% spoke two or more languages. Those attributes help make TCKs attractive to employers,” says Kate Mayberry, author of “Third Culture Kids: Citizens of Everywhere and Nowhere.” They learn to deal with friends leaving, or with leaving their friends, and this helps them to deal well with change later on in life. Not to mention that they often learn new languages with each country they go to. This makes them more likely to get jobs, because the employers want to utilize their skill set (Mayberry).   
     Some people may point out that TCK’s are confused about where they’re from, and often don’t know what to say when people ask them where they’re from. “The plight of the so-called ‘third-culture kid’ (TCK) is to be strung up and stretched between cultures. This is a precarious way to grow up, as the psychiatric history of my own TCK cohort makes acutely clear. Human beings are made for communion,” says Eric Miller, author of “A Third-Culture Kid.” He grew up in Brazil and adopted their culture and language. When he moved back to America, it was quite a culture shock, and he had to relearn what he knew about being American. Even so, he wasn’t considered American by the Americans, or Brazilian by the Brazilians. This is the problem with being a TCK. However, many TCK’s are proud of the fact that they are attached to multiple cultures and get to live in so many places (Miller). I often hear TCK’s at my school talking to each other about, “Oh, my friend in China,” this and “My friend in Italy,” that. Perhaps not having a place to call home isn’t the worst thing.   
     I go to an international school, and I’ve had a few friends come and go. The diversity is amazing, and many of the families have adopted kids. However, what was stated in the above paragraph has exceptions. One of my friends was deeply depressed because of this, and he would often talk to me about how he wanted just a normal high school experience, where he would go to prom with his girlfriend (who he had to move away from), where he would play sports and just have fun. But his life was thrown into turmoil the year he moved away from his girlfriend, because he held on instead of letting go. Sometimes, TCK’s hold on to things because they want a sense of stability and normalcy, but what they must learn is that that’s not how their life works. When their parents decided to embark on an overseas adventure, they knew what they were getting into and trusted their kids to be strong enough.  
With all these pros and cons floating around, it can be difficult to know if this is the right thing to do for your kid. Of course, you want them to be happy, and staying in one place with stable friends can do that for them. James Mullan, author of “The Pros and Cons of Being a ‘Third Culture Kid,’ tells us: 
“Fortunately, there is now a good body of literature to inform and guide you. It will advise you not to avoid the emotional events: successful transition involves closure, so when friends leave, have goodbye parties... welcome in newly arriving children...Get stuck into and enjoy the new culture... recognise that the move has created change: exposure to a new culture = a changed person. Most importantly... encourage open and honest talk: how are you feeling about being here?” 
Many times, being overseas can go awry, like mentioned in the above paragraph. If TCK’s can learn how to manage their emotions and feelings, using tips like this, then their experience would help them in the long run.  
     So, the real question: should you do this for your kid? There is no right or wrong answer. They will have more doors opened this way, what with their skill set and mindset, but they will also be changed mentally because of it.  Whatever you do, you just need to understand that it will affect your kid in good and bad ways, whether you stay in one place forever or move to a different country every two years. Like everything else in life, this has consequences and benefits.