Summer Au Pair Programs: Anyone tried them?

by cv harquail April 5, 2009
mikebeard flickr.jpg

Summer Au Pair Programs are kind of a new thing … or at least they are new to me. The agency we’ve used hasn’t offered that program, and I’ve only recently become aware that there are several agencies in the US now doing this officially. And, not to forget, there are many au pairs and […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Advice wanted… best medium & process for communicating expectations?

by cv harquail April 5, 2009
homemade_snare_gbg.jpg

Calif Mom needs some ideas for upgrading her communication system with her au pair. My AP joined us last summer and is going to extend (yay!). I have been wanting to fine tune some expectations ahead of signing those papers, and have been taking notes on specific things I would like her to start doing […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Your House is Not a Youth Hostel

by cv harquail April 3, 2009
welcome yellow door bedroom.jpg

Let me repeat that: Your house is not a youth hostel. It’s not a hotel. It’s not a pied a terre. Your house is your home, and if you choose to have friends of your au pair as overnight guests, there is a lot to think about. One blatant sign that a host mom and […]

25 comments Read the full article →

The 3rd Car: Avoiding a sense of entitlement

by cv harquail March 31, 2009
carkeys.jpeg

We all want to be generous, and we all want to be appreciated. There’s nothing like having a third car for your au pair to use to make you aware of the tension that can exist when you want to be generous and want to be appreciated. When we bought our first Volvo wagon to […]

24 comments Read the full article →

Should a former Au Pair step in to mediate a Host Family – Host Kid “situation”?

by cv harquail March 30, 2009
Picture 077.jpg

Active Contributor Franzi, former au pair and now Host Mom, has shared a lot of advice seasoned with the perspective of both sides of the Au Pair- Host Parent relationship. Now, she’s in uncharted territory–wondering how to respond as a "former" au pair and current Host Kid Confidant. While I’m so happy to see au […]

9 comments Read the full article →

Poll: Putting groceries away… fair chore?

by cv harquail March 28, 2009
grocery bags tyger lyllie.jpeg

One great treat of the internet age is ordering groceries on line to have them delivered to home at your convenience. We’ve been doing this for several years now, and it’s been worth every extra penny. I just log on whenever I find the time, and I schedule the delivery for when our au pair […]

28 comments Read the full article →

Getting her stuff back home: Is there a cheap way to ship things?

by cv harquail March 27, 2009
mollypop flicr.jpg

The amount of money your au pair has saved and the amount of stuff she needs to get back home are inversely proportional. That’s a problem, because if she wants to take that stuff home, it’s gonna cost some money. How can your au pair get that extra stuff home as inexpensively as possible? One […]

11 comments Read the full article →

Advice Wanted: How to manage too much “personal” use of family car

by cv harquail March 25, 2009
Etsy onescrappychic.jpeg

I need advice about car usage for our au pair. Our au pair has been with us for a little over 7 weeks now. She is doing a great job and has really blended well with our family. Part of her duties (driving) are to drop-off/pick-up our children from school 3 days a week & […]

30 comments Read the full article →

Can This Relationship Be Saved?Au Pair has tantrums when given feedback, then doesn’t change the behavior

by cv harquail March 24, 2009

Loyal Reader and Commenter Maya has had it — and who can blame her. Her au pair becomes a drama queen (my words) when given feedback, then doesn’t change the behavior. When I was reading this comment this morning, it brought back a wave of nausea, as I remembered our meeting with TL (worst au […]

26 comments Read the full article →

Using Your Car is a Privilege, not an Entitlement: Best practices

by cv harquail March 24, 2009
carkeys.jpeg

Second only to food as a ‘terrain of struggle’ is the shared family car. While the luckiest of us host families has an extra clunker or not-so-clunker available for the au pair to use as her own, many more host families have their au pair share the family car. And, some host families do not […]

40 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →