Dual-nationality sensitivities in children

I find the idea of being a dual citizen fascinating, especially from a child’s point of view - and I'm curious to know if any other children address it in the same way as my 6-year-old son.

He was born in the UK, but has lived in the US for most of his life. Ever since he could talk, he’s been extremely vocal about the fact that he’s British first (not American). He talks with an English accent, makes a point to only use British vocabulary, and he refers to his Britishness in one way or another most days. For example, his school writing is full of references to England; he will make food/drink/toy/book/TV, etc. choices depending on how “British” the item is; and he talks an awful lot about being/going/visiting/traveling around England. He's so proud to be British!

So, those of you with kids in a similar situation: do they have such strong feelings about the country they are NOT currently living in? Or is my son just much more sensitive to it than others? 

We're both British but my son was born in the US in 2001 (when my husband was posted there 2000 - 2003).  He doesn't remember the US at all but is very proud of being an 'American' and makes sure he mentions it whenever an opportunity arises!  Of course culturally he has nothing to relate to as the family is British and we live in England but he's still proud of it and asks about America regularly.   

His one real link with the US is through his aunt (my sister-in-law) who is an American and who lives near to us.  Their daughter (his cousin) is also a dual citizen but through her mother rather than by being born there.  So we have two dual citizens in the family via different routes! 

The two little ones often have (heated) debates about who is the most American!!

My kids are all dual American/Swedish citizens. My 2 yr old is too young and my 4 year old is proud but also still too young to really identify.

My oldest (6) has always aligned herself with me more than her dad, and therefore, as being more American than Scottish.  She used to deny that she was Scottish at all.  Now she is quite well balanced, knows she is half and half.  She speaks a bit differently than her friends ( doesn't drop consonants and the like) as I am the one she has spent the most amount of time with and I don't speak like that.  My son (4) is dropping the letter 't' like no ones  business, knows that I am American, thinks he might be 'a bit' (with a dropped t) American, but isn't fussed about it at all. 

Mine are pure Jocko.     They know they have American passports, but they don't see that as anything other than, well, another passport.  They see themselves as Scots with an American mother.  The older two have very lovely Highland accents and Scottish taste in food  .

The two little ones often have (heated) debates about who is the most American!!

My son (4) is dropping the letter 't' like no ones  business, knows that I am American, thinks he might be 'a bit' (with a dropped t) American, but isn't fussed about it at all. 

 

 

Mine's 5 years old and a treble national, but with britishness foremost.

Over Christmas we were in Bavaria.  One morning at the breakfast buffet, I was helping him serve himself and asked him if he wanted any eggs.  A whole crowd of people in the queue.

He asked in a loud, completely uninhibited voice, "Are they *ENGLISH* eggs?".  I said no, they are German eggs.  He said, "Then I don't want any thank you".

And a few minutes later, he did it again with my wife about the milk:  "is it *ENGLISH* milk?"

We have no idea where he got this attitude from.  It just came sailing out of the blue one day...

My children were born in the US, lived there until they were 5 and 8, and then moved to the UK.  Nearly five years on, they still have strong feelings of being both American and British.  They switch back and forth between their dual identities depending on who they're with.  The younger one is probably more English and the older one is more American.

Mine's 5 years old and a treble national, but with britishness foremost.

Over Christmas we were in Bavaria.  One morning at the breakfast buffet, I was helping him serve himself and asked him if he wanted any eggs.  A whole crowd of people in the queue.

He asked in a loud, completely uninhibited voice, "Are they *ENGLISH* eggs?".  I said no, they are German eggs.  He said, "Then I don't want any thank you".

And a few minutes later, he did it again with my wife about the milk:  "is it *ENGLISH* milk?"

We have no idea where he got this attitude from.  It just came sailing out of the blue one day...

HA!  Maybe he heard about the Spanish eggs that are going to kill us all last month? 

My 5 yr old (6 in April) isn't so fanatic about his britishness, he's fanatic about his BOTH-ness.

He LOVES telling people he speaks two languages, he speaks American AND English. he takes great pride in being lucky enough to be both... and lets everyone know it. Now that we're moving back to the UK he's already started purposely switching his terminology, and teaching it to everyone in his kindergarten class before we go over.

My son is not British and we only lived in the UK for about a year but my son gets upset if you try to tell him he's not FROM England. He really liked it there and often tells us he misses it. Its sad and funny at the same time.

My oldest has an American-ish accent and always really identified with her American side.  She still tells everyone she's American.  She's found a way to get there every summer since she was 16 by herself and has worked there the last two summers.  At her summer job she tried very hard to be one of the 'American' kids and not a foreign kids. We all think she'll end up living there and not he UK.

I don't have children, but I grew up as a child of two (actually, three) nationalities. I have to say, it made me feel almost schizophrenic and very self-conscious about myself. I had one way of speaking at home (English accent) and one way at school (American). I never felt wholly comfortable with my at school accent and I hated it when my two worlds collided. I felt like a total fraud in both places. As an adult, I'm so incredibly grateful to have had an interesting background, not to mention those two passports! But as a child, it wasn't easy. 

I think sometimes as kids we like the things that make us stand out and sound like great adventures.  I hardly think about it now, but I was born in Hawaii, and I remember choosing to do reports on Hawaii in school, telling people about how my parents almost named me Leilani, and the number of pictures of me with flowers stuck behind my ear are a bit ridiculous.  I remember always getting some oohs and ahhs in my small town when I'd tell them I was "almost Hawaiian."

My parents had lived there for several years, but they moved back when I was two months old.   

I don't have children, but I grew up as a child of two (actually, three) nationalities. I have to say, it made me feel almost schizophrenic and very self-conscious about myself. I had one way of speaking at home (English accent) and one way at school (American). I never felt wholly comfortable with my at school accent and I hated it when my two worlds collided. I felt like a total fraud in both places. As an adult, I'm so incredibly grateful to have had an interesting background, not to mention those two passports! But as a child, it wasn't easy. 

Just curious- what accent do you speak in now? I know you've been in the UK a while, so I'm guessing UK. But do you find yourself mixing it up? What about when you speak with old (school) friends? The topic of accents fascinates me! It blows my mind to think that it's likely my future kids will have a British accent!