Can this relationship be saved?

What Forever Au Pair Wishes Her Host Family Knew

by cv harquail August 10, 2015

Forever AuPair offered this as a comment to the earlier post13 Things Your Au Pair Wishes Host Families Knew, by Janine Snyder (AuPairSis). I thought it would make a great post of its own! What I Wish My Host Family Knew 1. Support your Au pair when she disciplines your kids, even if you would have done […]

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When Your Au Pair Connects With Everyone But You

by cv harquail July 30, 2015

Not every Au Pair hits it off with every family member. Sometimes there’s a kid or a parent for whom the Au Pair’s personality is a perfect fit. Sometimes the Au Pair is ‘primed’ to listen to one parent over the other because of the Au Pair’s own family history. Sometimes the Au Pair’s home […]

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Countdown to One Thousand Posts on AuPairMom

by cv harquail July 26, 2015

Some numbers are big. Some numbers are significant. Some numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. And some numbers are just around the corner. For me here behind AuPairMom, one number– One Thousand — is rapidly approaching. One Thoushand is big, significant, and just the tip of the iceberg all at the same time. “One […]

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When Your Previously Swell Au Pair Starts Acting Entitled

by cv harquail July 18, 2015

Earlier we had a conversation about whether or not au pairs in the USA were, as a group, starting to act more entitled than in earlier times. By “entitled” we mean, dissatisfied with a situation where the family follows the rules, offers the au pair a car, feeds the au pair well, and aims to […]

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How to Fix It When Your Au Pair Starts Out On The Wrong Foot

by cv harquail June 29, 2015

Four weeks in, and your Au Pair still isn’t doing what you’d expected. Worse, s/he’s not doing what you need. You’ve finished up her formal orientation and in-home training, but your Au Pair hasn’t stepped up to fill the role. Is there anything you can do? There are two kinds of early performance problems. The first […]

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My Brother is Dating My Au Pair – Against My Wishes

by cv harquail June 15, 2015

Usually it helps to think about your Au Pair as ‘part of the family’. S/he lives with you, sees what’s behind the scenes, and knows some of your family drama. Because we do integrate our Au Pairs into our family lives, situations come up that– were s/he a live-out nanny or part time babysitter — would […]

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Au Pair Handbook: Describing “Give and Take” Philosophy

by cv harquail May 23, 2015

One in an ongoing series of posts on very specific information to include in your AuPair Handbook… HostMom MeanwhileInCanada writes: I am currently in the process of revising the section of my handbook on give-and-take & related attitude (it’s in the section on “being part of the family”). I know there have been multiple discussions on […]

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When Au Pair Candor Hurts Your Host Parent Feelings

by cv harquail May 18, 2015

We Host Parents want our Au Pairs to be truthful with us. Whether the topic is homesickness, feelings of depression, concerns about children’s behavior, or even our own emotional situations, we want our au pairs to tell us how they see things. As Americans, we believe that candor (being forthcoming) and honesty (telling the truth) […]

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Helping an Au Pair with Depression – without Rematch

by cv harquail May 11, 2015

It’s more than homesickness. It’s more than a bad day, or a bad mood. It’s depression, and it’s a serious disorder. Is there anything a host parent can do to help? HostMomInParadise writes: I am a host mom in transition. My au pair had been here 8 months and left suddenly, stopping work abruptly and […]

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Open Thread: A Break

by cv harquail May 1, 2015

Hi All- Much excitement here at AuPairMom Headquarters this week. I fractured my scapula and two ribs on Sunday, by falling off a horse that spooked and started galloping towards the woods. My helmet and safety vest protected most of me, but the fractures, bruises, and etc. have taken a toll on both my ego and […]

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