We should all have the challenges this host mom faces, as she aims to describe what she appreciates about her au pair!
I am having a hard time writing this appreciation for our current au pair not because I can’t think of what to celebrate him for, but because once I start, I don’t think I will ever stop!
Our au pair D is just everything anyone could want in an au pair: Thoughtful, proactive, caring, engaged, energetic, punctual, careful, fun, cheerful, consistent, loving, attentive, affectionate…the list could go on and on.
D takes his job so seriously and is always thinking about ways to do it better, as in introducing interesting math games in the car as a way to make a long commute home from school go faster, finding fun strategies to help a child study for spelling quizzes , enabling a little guy to process the big experience of a first trip up on the chairlift through building a chairlift out of legos, or supporting an 11 year old as she navigates the sometimes treacherous waters between girlhood and tweendom.
Everyone in our household adores D, including our pets. Our dog rushes to greet him, whenever D comes down in the morning, but even the exuberance of a golden retriever is paled in comparison to the enthusiasm with which the children greet him each day. The pleasure the children take in being with him is due in large measure to the fact that D is literally always in a good mood, and he is consistently kind and attentive to the children.
The daily routine seems fun with D, and the fact that he is interested in and wants to know more about literally everything they have to say and share. With my husband and me, D is an incredibly respectful and thoughtful housemate, but even more, he has become a genuine friend to both of us, thanks to his interesting contributions to dinner conversations and his willingness to share so much about his life, his culture, and his interests with us.
Life is simply better with D as a part of our household.
We are appreciating every day that we are lucky enough to have him with us this year. As we look ahead to matching for next year, the main criteria our daughter stressed that she wants in the next au pair is that he be “a clone of D.” If anyone in aupairmom-world knows the secret to cloning a great au pair, please let us know!
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I’m so looking forward to reading these!
Want to send us one of yours? Even just 3 sentences, of something that made you happy….
I will. I’ve been meaning to, but you know I’m still recovering from my bad experience and struggling with my faith in the program in general, so the few times I’ve tried, it hasn’t come out right. I’ll write one on our first au pair :) Submitting shortly!
Our new aupair Linda, is calm, kind, and cooks great lasagne. I am so happy she is spending the next 6 months with us!
Even though our current au pair leaves a lot to be desired, I am grateful that she tidies up, meets the kids up at the bus stop, and walks the dog. I’m also thankful that the kids love her.
Even though we have had our bumps and bruises with the AP program, we still believe that when it works, it far surpasses any other childcare option for our family. Just like a seasoned traveler loves different countries for different reasons, all our APs have had different strengths and weaknesses and have left with a piece of us and in return, left us with many memories and laughs to reflect upon.
Our first AP couldn’t speak English or drive, but she worked her butt off. She bonded with our kids immediately in spite of the language barrier and had the hardest job of our 3 APs as she got all three kids full time, two of which were in diapers. She potty trained our middle completely by herself and had our youngest pretty much there when the next AP arrived. She was affectionate and very protective at a time when our kids were most vulnerable and needed that and thats why in spite of our challenges at times we will always be grateful.
Our second AP was warm, outgoing and musical. She inspired a love of music in all my kids, taught my husband and son to play the guitar, taught my son a little piano and sang songs and inspired dance parties with my girls on a regular basis. All three kids flourished and grew so much during her time with us and her infectious positive attitude was a catalyst in that. We had a couple of devastating events that year and she filled any and every gap during that time for the kids and for us as host parents. Looking back I doubt our kids even noticed and that is something we can never repay her for.
Our current AP is very new (second week) and was a transition when #2 had to return home unexpectedly but already I am thankful for her calm and positive demeanor. It was a stressful transition and goodbye and she wasn’t phased in the least. She was a strong steady presence for the kids and such a fast learner that our departing AP trained her entirely in 3 days! So we appreciate her diligence and focus, her positive attitude and her patience. And she makes her bed everyday. ;) Had to get that in there!
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