A Czech-Nepali Mother’s Manual for Raising Cross-Cultural Kids

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In a recent Nepali Times piece, editor Kunda Dixit introduces Shresthova‘s new book, Cross-Cultural Parenting Playbook, as a long-awaited manual for an increasingly intercontinental Nepali diaspora and for the growing number of inter-ethnic Nepali families inside Nepal itself. Sangita Shresthova, while attending Princeton, performed a Nepali dance. Later, she came across a local newspaper photo of herself, captioned “Native of Nepal.” This made her feel like an impostor. Despite her Nepali heritage, her father is Nepali, her mother Czech, and her husband Gujarati. She is currently raising a son in Los Angeles.

Shresthova, a Third Culture Kid, is the subject of Dixit’s review. The review traces how she transformed her lived experience into a research-based, story-driven guide for parents, grandparents, and anyone else navigating life across cultures. She is the author of books on Bollywood dance and youth activism, and she holds the position of Associate Research Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California.

Below are key highlights from Kunda Dixit’s article:

  • A different math for identity. Shresthova rejects the framing that mixed-heritage children are “half” anything. She quotes Marta, daughter of Chinese-Singaporean and Czech parents, who puts it plainly: “I am not half-Czech and half-Chinese. I am three times something.” Children of international parents, Shresthova writes, are “exponential, not fractional,” and “both insider and outsider.”
  • Built around reflection, not prescription. Dixit explains each chapter, on language, media, popular culture, cuisine, and more, ends with Reflection Questions families can answer on their own terms. She notes that the book deliberately avoids one-size-fits-all advice.
  • A wide research base. Dixit highlights Shresthova’s interview with cross-cultural parents from diverse countries, including China, Korea, Afghanistan, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the US. These interviews shed light on how international couples navigate the challenges of raising children in a globalized world, allowing them to move between extended families spread across continents.
  • Humour as glue. Dixit highlights that, similar to Trevor Noah’s writing about his South African upbringing, Shresthova uses humor to alleviate stress in blended families. One Hong Kong-Chinese mother she interviews is married to a Czech stand-up comedian who has a repertoire of icebreakers.
  • Bridges and brittle threads. Shesthanova emphasizes how FaceTime and WhatsApp facilitate family connections across continents, but visa restrictions, costly travel, and censorship weaken these bonds. Shared movies, cultural programs, and home-cooked meals serve as quieter bridges for children growing up in diverse environments.
  • The harder truths. Dixit acknowledges that Shresthova doesn’t shy away from addressing the challenges, highlighting the higher divorce rates in cross-cultural marriages. She candidly shares her own parents’ struggles in bridging European and Nepali cultures during the 1980s in Nepal. Shresthova’s parents met in Communist Czechoslovakia, witnessed Nepal’s transition from Panchayat to democracy, and experienced the breakup of Czechoslovakia. Their experiences served as a model for the negotiation strategies she now writes about.

Dixit concludes her article with a line from the book. Shresthova confesses that she often dreams of sharing the Nepal she grew up in with her 11-year-old son, Marek. However, she acknowledges that the Nepal she holds dear no longer exists. She envisions walking through Patan’s streets or gazing up at the Himalayas as the beginning of his own connection with the country. While she can nurture that bond, she understands that ultimately, he must forge his own path.

Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my AI Explorations process. For more information, please refer to the original article listed below.

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