My children have two nationalities - luckily both of them are EU nationalities. However, since we live in the home country of my wife, my children have little to nothing in terms of contact with their second nationality of my home country. Both passports for them are largely interchangeable in terms of power and freedom of travel. My children also will never need to decide whether to give up either nationality, making it easier for them to just have a “passive nationality” in the back pocket.
Do your children also have more than one nationality? How does this impact your and their life? How do you manage to retain ties with both countries - if at all? I’d love to hear different perspectives on this topic.
It pains me to see a drink on a laptop; and why do they need two cameras on a map?
Who takes these stock photos?
Also, that’s a huge hat to wear inside.
I can’t speak as a parent, but as someone whose parents entitled me to duel nationality I’ve found myself very grateful.
After the Britain left the EU my other EU passport entitled me to continue moving round the EU without limits, free Uni, etc.
The increased freedom and backup home country in case of disaster is really powerful so definitely worth it IMO.
As for retaining ties, it’s hard not to settle in one country but having family you can stay with in either country makes things far easier.
Also make sure to teach your children both languages if you can, I found it helped develop my multi cultural interest and made it far easier to learn more languages later.
I wouldn’t worry too much about retaining ties with both countries. The kids can’t grow up in both countries equally - I mean they could but that wouldn’t be good for development imho - and you as a parent will simply have to accept that only one country will be the kid’s home.
I mean, by all means take them there and let them see their family etc. but don’t make it a task, don’t have expectations that you can somehow balance things out.
As you said: let them have a passive nationality in their back pocket.
Greetings,
somebody whose parents had that same notion, but tried to force it.PS: about learning the language, the current consensus amongst child development professionals is that each parent should speak their own language with the kid.
It’s just a piece of paper it doesn’t literally change their personality like some kind of anime trope. Jesus.
They’ll get the ties to your country through you, like all immigrant and first-gen kids do. They’ll just be closer to the culture they live in. Speak your native language, feed them traditional food from your country, show them music or movies from your country, things like that. Take them on trips to visit your country, if that’s doable. I’m first-generation Canadian with Portuguese parents and through things like that, I’ve always felt Portuguese. Definitely more Canadian, but also Portuguese.
