Mad Money: Every girl should have some

by cv harquail August 20, 2009
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Family lore has it that my grandfather, a WASP of few words, gave my mom three pieces of advice when she went off to college: Hotels always have clean ladies’ rooms. A Brandy Alexander is an appropriate cocktail for a young lady. Every young lady should have some mad money. Notwithstanding how odd these three […]

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Can this relationship be saved? “Uncomfortable” or something else?

by cv harquail August 19, 2009
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“Our Au Pair tells us that she is ‘uncomfortable’.” … but what does this really mean? Host parents, can you help with this request for advice? This is our first aupair…(well our very first decided she couldnt handle it and went home after 1 month). She is 22 years old from Colombia and has been […]

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Advice for this au pair? Lost form, lost faith, and altogether lost…

by cv harquail August 18, 2009
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It’s the kind of situation that gives host families a bad reputation…I got an email tonight from an au pair trying to help out another au pair…. can you offer her your advice? Dear Au Pair Mom Helper, My friend has a problem and I am trying to help her out as much as I […]

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Gossip Girls: When your AP tells stories, what can you do?

by cv harquail August 18, 2009
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Researchers in my field of organizational behavior&theory have found that gossip in organizations provides some useful functions, like lubricating relationships, creating interpersonal bonds, allowing people to express their fears, and perhaps most important, offering people an informal way to make sense of what’s going on around them. While it may be that gossip at work […]

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Settling Accounts — *Before* she departs

by cv harquail August 17, 2009
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The comment from PA AuPair mom in the post about docking the au pair’s pay sent a chill down my spine, and reminded me that I need to write and post this bit of advice: Before your Au Pair leaves, be sure to settle all accounts with her. This advice is not for host parents […]

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Technical Difficulties

by cv harquail August 15, 2009

Hi All- Tracy twittered me to tell me that there are some problems with “functionality”, particularly with trying to get to posts from the ‘recent comments’ section on the sidebar. I wanted to let you all know that I know and that I’ll be working on a solution. Please let me know (via email) if […]

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Can you dock her pay if she owes you money? Poll

by cv harquail August 14, 2009

Are there any situations when it’s fair for you to withhold or ‘dock’ your au pair’s pocket money? We skirted around this issue in a previous conversation about when your au pair refuses to work, but never answered it directly. Now, we’ve got a topic request (on Skribit) with a very specific situation: You AP […]

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Calendar Advice from CalifMom

by cv harquail August 10, 2009

A treat from Calif Mom! Knowing that I’d be away from the blog (for a little longer than I’d planned) Calif Mom sent us a present: a guest post on calendars! Here’s her advice, with the usual blend of wisdom and wit! cv Dorsi mentioned Google Calendar in a comment advising a host mom who […]

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Maximizing a Warm Welcome from first-time Host Kids

by cv harquail July 30, 2009
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Getting an au pair for the first time is a big deal for host parents, and it’s a particularly bg deal for host kids. They too will be switching from one form of care to another, and they too will have someone they don’t know (yet) living in their house, drivin their car, petting their […]

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Choosing an Au Pair: Religion as an Au Pair selection criterion

by cv harquail July 28, 2009
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I’m A Believer. I believe that religion is something you should seriously consider when selecting an au pair. In my family’s experience, religion has been an important selection criterion — and also the source of some interesting relationship problems. Our experience Our family is of mixed religious traditions: I’m a christian with a lower case […]

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