Foreign Service Brat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Foreign Service Brat is a person whose parent(s) served full-time in the United States Foreign Service during the person's childhood. The word brat is often thought of as derogatory; however, in a foreign service context the term is has more of neutral feel and is sometimes taken as a sign of pride. A foreign service brat may spend the majority of their childhood not in the United States.
Much like other similar groups, such as Military Brats or Third Culture Kids, foreign service brats are faced with frequent moves, and possibly the absence of a parent. Many foreign service brats will grow up to take on roles similar to their parents, some joining the foreign service themselves. When reintergrated with regular students in a stateside setting these children often feel very different and have issues with being accepted. Also, the perceived eliteness of the Foreign Service further separates these children from others.
[edit] Notable former Foreign Service Brats
- Stewart Copeland, drummer for the Police
- Greg Kinnear, actor
- John Kerry, politician, Presidential candidate
- Kathleen Turner, actress
- Ted Kennedy, politician (Kennedy's father was US Ambassador to the U.K. starting in 1938)
