What Do You Do When You Don’t Have a Tribe?

In this episode of Abroadly Speaking, we dive into one of the unexpected challenges of expat parenting: managing life when your safety net—family, close friends, or a trusted tribe—is thousands of miles away. What do you do when your child gets sick, and there's no grandma or best friend nearby to step in?Mistelle shares her personal experiences of parenting abroad, from navigating a chickenpox outbreak with her toddler to the added complexities of managing work and childcare during COVID lockdowns. Learn how cultural differences, workplace policies, and a bit of creativity helped her juggle it all and find solutions in seemingly impossible situations.What You'll Hear in This Episode:A story of managing a toddler with chickenpox while both parents worked full-time.The surprising benefits of family leave policies in Austria and Switzerland.How COVID-19 added new layers of complexity to parenting abroad.Creative strategies for balancing work and parenting without a local support system.Tips on making the most of cultural differences, like extended sick leave policies.Who This Episode is For:This episode is perfect for expat parents, dual-working households, or anyone considering the move abroad and wondering how to handle parenting challenges far from home.Resources Mentioned:The GroClock for rest-time management (not sponsored but highly recommended!)Disney+ and how screen time can be an occasional lifesaver.Let’s Connect!Have your own story about parenting abroad? Share it with me on Instagram [@iammistelle]!