The American preschool teacher asked Nate, age 5, “What countries have you lived in?”

With exuberance he said, “I’ve been to China, Thailand, and Iowa!”

(If you’ve never heard of the country of “Iowa” that’s because it’s a state in the middle of the US known for its corn fields. It’s a state that might be easy to look down on or make fun. But not by Nate!)

Doesn’t Nate’s response capture the hope that parents have for their TCKs? That they can love all of the lands they spend time in. But we know that’s often not the case. Too many adult TCKs share “horror stories” of their time on furlough as a kid.

Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the story for you or families you work with. In this month’s workshop, Lauren Wells will answer three questions:

• What is healthy when it comes to home assignments for TCKs?
• How do we get to healthy? (She offers 3 key strategies for you to implement.)
• How do you plan for healthy home assignments both before and during one?

While answering these questions she also covers the following information:

• School considerations
• Deciding how long your home assignment should be
• What to expect emotionally from your children and when to reach out for support
• Processing the transition before, during, and after home assignment
• Building healthy relationships on home assignment
• Healthy communication with your TCKs about support raising

As one attendee said, “This was sooo excellent. How I wish we had had something like this years ago for our own children. What a blessing that this information is there now to help others! I appreciate this so much!”

Your kids can be like Nate and have positive ties to the lands where grandparents, cousins, and other people who are dear to you and integral to your support team live.

It’s never too late to Plan a Healthy Home Assignment for your TCK. Get the workshop here.

Home assignments, furloughs, and sabbaticals aren’t just for kids. Doors to the Sabbatical Journey Course open tomorrow and will be open for 3 days!