Parenting Support for Expats and International Families in Milan

Parenting support in English, Italian, and French, specifically aimed at supporting international families navigating the challenges of parenting while living abroad or in an international/multicultural environment.

In person in Milan (in Isola or Centrale) or online.

Get in touch for a first no-obligation call or book a first session directly.

​

Fee: €95 per 1.10h session.

Parenting is challenging in any context. Raising children while living away from your country of origin or in an international context can add another layer of complexity.

When you are parenting in a different cultural environment, you may find yourself questioning assumptions about what children need, how families should function, how parents should communicate with children, or what it means to be a "good parent."

These questions can become particularly complex when parents come from different cultural backgrounds or when children are growing up between several languages, cultures and countries.

Parenting support offers a space to reflect on these experiences and find approaches that feel right for your family.

Parenting while living abroad

You may be looking for support if:

• you are raising children in a country different from the one where you grew up;

• you feel uncertain about how to navigate cultural differences in parenting;

• you and your partner have different ideas about how to raise your children;

• you come from different cultural backgrounds;

• you are unsure how much of your own culture to pass on to your children;

• you are concerned about your child's sense of identity or belonging;

• you are struggling with a move, a new school or another major transition;

• you feel isolated from the family or community that would normally support you;

• you are finding parenting more difficult since moving abroad;

• you and your partner repeatedly disagree about parenting;

• you are trying to balance different family traditions, expectations or values.

When parents come from different cultures

There is no single way of being a good parent.

However, what feels natural to one parent may feel strange, excessive, too strict, too permissive, too distant or too involved to the other.

Parents from different cultural backgrounds may have different expectations around:

• discipline and boundaries;

• children's independence;

• emotional expression;

• academic achievement;

• family involvement;

• grandparents' roles;

• privacy and autonomy;

• communication between parents and children;

• sleeping arrangements;

• food and mealtimes;

• celebrations and traditions;

• gender roles and expectations.

These differences can become particularly difficult when each parent feels that their approach is simply "normal" or "what children need."

Parenting support can help you move away from arguments about whose approach is right and towards understanding the values, experiences and concerns behind each perspective.

​

Raising children between cultures

Children growing up internationally can have rich and complex experiences.

They may speak several languages, have family members in different countries, move between educational systems, or develop friendships and relationships across cultures.

This can be a valuable resource, but it can also raise questions about identity and belonging.

Some children feel comfortable moving between cultures. Others may feel that they do not completely belong anywhere, or may identify differently depending on where they are.

Parents may wonder:

Which language should we speak at home?

How do we preserve our culture while helping our child integrate?

What happens when our child's experience is very different from our own childhood?

How can we support our child if they feel caught between cultures?

These are not questions with one universal answer. Parenting support can provide a space to explore what is meaningful for your particular family.

​

Parenting without your usual support network

One of the less visible costs of living abroad can be the absence of the wider support system that many parents normally rely on.

Grandparents, siblings, childhood friends and extended family may be living thousands of kilometres away. You may not have people nearby who can spontaneously help, share the everyday workload or simply understand what your family is going through.

Instead, support may need to be organised across countries, time zones and different family systems.

At the same time, living abroad can also bring valuable resources: new communities, friendships, greater independence and opportunities to develop a family culture that combines different traditions.

Both realities can coexist.

​

When parents have different ideas about parenting

For international couples, disagreements about parenting can sometimes be connected to broader cultural and relational differences.

One parent may value independence and direct communication, while the other places greater emphasis on family closeness and obedience. One may expect children to express their emotions openly, while the other grew up in a family where emotions were discussed less directly.

There may also be differences in how each parent understands authority, responsibility and the role of the wider family.

Parenting support can help you understand these differences and develop a shared approach that respects both parents while keeping the child's needs at the centre.

A space to reflect without judgment

I have personal experience of living abroad and of being part of a multicultural family, and I have worked with people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including expats and immigrants.

This has given me an appreciation of how much complexity can sit behind apparently simple parenting questions.

I also know that cultural background should never be treated as an explanation for everything. Every family has its own history, values and dynamics.

My role is therefore not to tell you which culture has the "right" way of parenting, but to help you understand your own assumptions, your child's needs and the dynamics between family members, so that you can develop an approach that feels thoughtful and sustainable for your family.

​

Sessions can take place in English, Italian or French, depending on what works best for you and your family.

​

Sessions are available in person in Milan (Isola or Centrale) or online.

Fee: starting from €75 for a 50-minute session.

​

If you would like to discuss whether parenting support could be useful for you, you are welcome to get in touch for an initial, no-obligation conversation or book a first session directly.