Foundations & Basics

You’re on YouTube! Is that okay?

by cv harquail May 13, 2009

In the post Help: My Au Pair is Blogging about My Family!, we’ve addressed the question of how folks feel about their au pairs blogging about the family and/or posting information about the family on Facebook or MySpace. Lots of host parents weighed in with their opinions. We agreed that your family should have a […]

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The Magic Wand Question

by cv harquail May 12, 2009

We all know that having frank, candid talks between Host Parents and Au Pairs can be difficult. It can be hard to share tough feedback or to ask for a change in behavior. We recognize that often, not only the au pair but also the host parents and/or kids have to make changes in order […]

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Au Pair Appreciation: Hooray for all of you!

by cv harquail May 8, 2009

Well, we’ve come to the end of the very first annual International Au Pair Appreciation Week! Thank you to the host moms and dads who sent in the stories for the Au Pair Appreciation posts this week. Thank you to all of you who commented on the stories, offered snippets of your own stories, and […]

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Au Pair Appreciation: Popsicle sticks and masking tape

by cv harquail May 8, 2009

International Au Pair Appreciation Week As shared by a Host Mom for her family Why do we appreciate our au pair so much? Our AP is beloved by both my kids. They are five years apart and so have very different world views and needs, yet she is able to have a great time on […]

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Advice Wanted: Should I intervene in another Au Pair-Host Family situation?

by cv harquail May 7, 2009

What, if anything, do you do if you become aware of a situation where another host family is taking advantage of their Au Pair? Here are the specifics, as shared by our Host Mom: … A friend that my Au Pair met at the Au Pair "school" in NY just recently moved to our state […]

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I’ve caught a virus… and I want to share it with you!

by cv harquail May 7, 2009

… Moms, I’m not talking about Swine Flu. I’m talking about "Mother of the Year"! Au Pair Mom is 2009 Mother of the Year! Whoohoo! MomsRising.org is spreading a virus … it’s their "Mother of the Year Award" video, the kind where you can insert the names of people you know who then show up […]

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Au Pair Appreciation: A collage of love

by cv harquail May 4, 2009

thinking of you bird inkstainswithroni.jpg

International Au Pair Appreciation Week As shared by a Host Mom After being with us for only 2 months, our AP made us a beautiful collage for Christmas of photos that she had taken of the children and our dogs. It was so thoughtful and we were absolutely thrilled! It now hangs on our bulletin […]

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Extra Umbrellas and Hidden House Keys: The beauty of redundancy

by cv harquail April 30, 2009

In my household, there are 7 sets of house keys. My husband knows about 4 sets, my au pair knows about 6 sets, and only I know about the 7th set. Similarly, we have: at least one umbrella in each of 3 cars, two or three umbrellas in the hall closet, one umbrella in my […]

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Would you ever use a “nanny cam”?

by cv harquail April 26, 2009

A reader suggested that we talk about nanny cams. (She suggested the topic using the Skribit widget on the sidebar… hint hint). Personally, I think nanny cams are kindof creepy, in general. And, if I were ever tempted to use one myself, it would be a sign to me that my relationship with my au […]

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Setting Guidelines when your Au Pair has guests

by cv harquail April 23, 2009

When an au pair has guests come to visit, it is tempting for the Host Parents to give the au pair lots of ‘extras’– extra time off, extra flexibility, extra food and space, and basically to try to accommodate their au pair’s expected desire to spend time with the visiting friend or family member. This […]

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