Raising Kids Across Three Countries as an Expat Parent

Her mother-in-law's advice was that crying helps babies develop their lungs. The advice from home was the opposite. Sasha Romary was raising her first child in Paris, caught between two cultures that agreed on almost nothing. In this episode, Sasha shares what it was like becoming a mother in France, then Singapore, then Germany, and what pushed her to become a sleep and parenting coach: the isolation of getting contradictory advice in two languages, the shame of a crying baby in a quiet Parisian café, and the much harder fight to get a child who didn't fit the local school system the support he needed. She and Arielle also get into how a child's age changes what kind of school will actually work abroad, and why "home," for a family that moves often, ends up being less about the address and more about the traditions a family carries with them. ────────────────────────────────────────── CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS ────────────────────────────────────────── 00:00 – Becoming a Parent in Three Different Countries: One Expat Mom's Story 01:15 – Becoming a First-Time Mom in Paris, Far from Family 05:56 – French Parental Leave for Business Owners: What to Expect 08:15 – Navigating Conflicting Parenting Advice Across Two Cultures 16:03 – Advocating for a Child Who Doesn't Fit the Local School System 19:32 – Why Your Child's Age Changes What School Works Best Abroad 24:41 – Why "Home" Abroad Has Less to Do with Location Than You'd Think ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT THE GUEST ────────────────────────────────────────── Sasha Romary is a parenting and sleep coach who became a first-time mother in Paris and went on to raise her two sons in Singapore and Germany before returning to France. She now supports other expat parents navigating parenthood across cultures. ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT YOUR HOST ────────────────────────────────────────── Arielle Tucker, CFP® & IRS Enrolled Agent, is a cross-border financial planner based in Switzerland helping Americans living abroad navigate U.S. taxes, international investments, and cross-border financial planning. ────────────────────────────────────────── LOVE THIS EPISODE? ────────────────────────────────────────── Follow the show and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it's the single biggest thing you can do to help other cross-border families find this show. ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH™ ────────────────────────────────────────── Passport To Wealth™ is the platform for current and aspiring US expats. We connect globally mobile Americans with vetted, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the financial and legal complexities of life abroad. STAY CONNECTED Follow Sasha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sasharomaryparenting/ Book a Free 30-min Parenting Call: https://www.sasharomary.com/parent-coaching Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passporttowealthofficial/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passport-to-wealth/ ────────────────────────────────────────── This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified cross-border financial professional before making any financial or tax decisions. Mentioned in this episode: Click here to subscribe to our newsletter Find your cross-border expert on the Passport To Wealth™ directory Passport to Wealth is a proud member of the SwissCast Network Discover more podcasts for English-speaking Switzerland SwissCast Network Pre-order "The Expat Money Playbook" Pre-order "The Expat Money Playbook"