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There isn’t much my parents don’t know about it, and nothing they need to know that they aren’t aware of. |
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I wish my parents knew how amazing it is to be able to grow up in a foreign country and to feel like you are a citizen of both (country you live in and the US). They know what it’s like as an adult to learn the language and interact with adults, I know what it’s like to speak two languages and think it’s normal, to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia; Munich, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Zermatt, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria and so many other beautiful cities. I thought everyone lived like we did. Now I know better. I wish my parents knew how grateful I am for my MK experience. |
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That making friendships is not as easy as it looks because they are not strong ties |
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That, even though we may gripe and bemoan the fact that we have to be at almost every church function, be an example, and be a little angel, we really do like being an mk. Just because we gripe, it doesn’t mean that what we are saying is heartfelt. |
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How cool it is growing up in a different country. |
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Nothing as my Dad was an MK |
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We have openly talked about the issues and the joys. The joys far outweigh the issues! |
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I wish they knew how lonely I felt with no friends who could help me stay focused. |
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They integrated to the point, that by the time I was 18 and went off to College in the US, they could not really prepare me for life in the US. |
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I wish they had better understood the identity crisis that we often go through. My parents tried to raise us to adapt to either culture, yet we both grew up just a bit confused about where we really belonged. In trying to be part of both cultures, sometimes it was as though we were part of neither culture. I wish they had understood that though it is important for an MK to be able to adapt to both cultures, we also need to know where we belong. Belonging is very important to a child, for without it he or she is confused and insecure. I’m an adult now, and I am still trying to figure out the answer to the question, “where are you from?” My parents couldn’t really answer that question either! Maybe if parents of MKs could figure out how to answer that question, their kids would not be so confused. |
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That I’m still human. |
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That being a MK is an incredible life. |
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I feel like my parents were very sympathetic and in tune to how we felt. |
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That it is a great blessing and invaluable. |
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That there needs to be a happy medium between work and family life. |
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I really can't think of anything. Being an MK isn't like having a disease or anything. I don't think we need special care. |
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Both my parents were MKs... not qualified to answer... :)
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My parents know this now. Missionary couples should not put the children in a children's home. The family needs to stay together. |
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The difficulty of not fitting in to the American way of growing up. |
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Family gets set aside because of a need of a student. |
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Not much... My Dad is an MK himself, so I'm sure the insights from the pain he felt (which, by the way, he doesn't talk about) guided him and showed what not to do as he raised myself & my brother. |
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My parents did a great job. Perhaps one thing that would have made the transition to life in the home country easier would have been more preparation for this on their part, explaining daily life to me and to my host family (describing how we did some things overseas so they knew of the changes I would be facing). For example, I was teased a lot about moving to a window in the evening to continue working or reading. It never occurred to me to be able to turn on a light (our electricity overseas came on just after dark). It was all good-natured, but there were many such things constantly. |
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The MK doesn't automatically know everything about the Bible, they have to be taught by their parents just like everyone else. |
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I honestly can't think of anything I think they should have known or understood better. |
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The nice thing about my experience was that my parents knew about the struggles of being a MK. We had an open communication and if something bothered us we could talk with them and they would make whatever adjustments they could. |
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They have worked with MKs for over 20 years, they really know all the difficulties. They also not only know them, but also have a great understanding of them. |
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The difficulty with sharing them with the ministry 24/7. They were always on call to the ministry, which meant if we were spending time together as a family and something came up, the Nationals or a task that had to be done concerning the ministry were always the priority. |
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They had the tougher job because I was born in France and did not have to adjust to a new country/culture, like they did. |
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I've been pretty open with them about what it's like. They understand the
loneliness... |
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My parents are perfect parents. I was convinced as a kid that they knew everything. |
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What I would like them to know is that they do not know how I feel. Many times when I am sad or lonely, my mother says, “I know how you feel.” That is not true. She and my father chose to be on the mission field and as their child, I didn’t. Their life experiences in the United States do not compare with mine on the field the same way. |
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How lonely it can feel. I know I have my family, but sometimes I just wish I could have a close friend here who I can unload stuff on every now and then. |
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How much I appreciate what they did in raising us to love overseas ministry. |
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To listen to your kids, really let them talk, not just talk to them. |