Parachute¹ kids are children sent to a new country to live alone or with a caregiver while their parents remain in their home country, also called parachute children. 

“降落伞儿童”（小留学生）指那些被送到另一个国家独自生活，或者有人照顾起居的孩子，而他们的父母仍留在本国国内，英文中也称为parachute children。

 

Parents may place their children with distant relatives or paid caretakers, or simply buy a house for them and have them stay alone. 

父母有时把孩子托付给远亲，或者花钱雇人照顾，也可能给孩子买个房子让他们独立居住。

 

这些小留学生的父母经常奔波于本国和孩子所在的国家之间，如同“空中飞人”。所以这一类父母被人戏称为astronaut parents（宇航员父母）。