Host Mom Desperately Trying — Too Hard?

by cv harquail September 3, 2014
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What is it they say about choosing a third au pair after two huge disappointments: It’s the “Triumph of Hope over Experience”? OzHostMom writes with a quandary: She’s really trying, she’s really optimistic, except she’s lost her host mom mojo. I’ve reordered her story, below, so that you get the critical point near the start: […]

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3 Features of Au Pairing: Which One Challenges You?

by cv harquail September 1, 2014
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What are the real, important differences between Au Pairs and other kinds of childcare providers, like nannies, babysitters, or childcare centers? What really influences the challenges that host parents and au pairs face when it comes to making this ‘the best year ever’? It used to be that when people asked me how having an […]

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Open Thread: Labor Day Weekend 2014

by cv harquail August 30, 2014
beach chairs

Happy Labor Day weekend– and for those of us whose kids (finally) go back to school this coming week, happy last day of summer vacation. Enjoy this open thread, to converse about anything your heart desires (as long as it fits within our Comments policy). Also, if there are things you want us to discuss on […]

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Labor Day: An American Celebration of Workers

by cv harquail August 29, 2014
labor day

American Culture is on my mind today.   Of the three big distinctions between Au Pair childcare and other childcare, the idea of cultural exchange often takes a back seat.  One reason for ‘culture’ receding in to the background is that we regularly experience cultural differences and cultural exchange at the interpersonal level. Cultural exchange […]

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How to Decline an Au Pair Match — Politely

by cv harquail August 26, 2014
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No one wants to be rejected — not au pairs and not host parents.   But reject each other we must, since we know that even a perfectly lovely candidate (in this case, either a host parent or a potential au pair) may just not feel like the right fit. But how can we let the […]

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Flirting Au Pair Makes Life Awkward: Did we handle this well?

by cv harquail August 25, 2014
antiflirt club

Long-time AuPairMom readers know that we rarely discuss bad behavior between au pairs and male host parents, for two reasons:  There actually isn’t that much (especially compared to other kinds of problems), and Posts with certain words draw really creepy spammers that I hate to have to deal with. That said, there might be situations […]

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Do you ‘overshare’ or ‘undershare’ with your Au Pair?

by cv harquail August 21, 2014
overshare

I didn’t realized what a private creature I could be until we had our first au pair. With roommates it felt like nothing was off limits, and with my DH the main thing I kept closed was the bathroom door. But with au pairs? More of a challenge finding the right space between being closed and […]

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Three Types of Host Moms: Which one are you?

by cv harquail August 15, 2014
guide to clouds

I have a theory:  Every new host mom starts off with a vision of herself as being one of three types: The Bestie, The SecondMom, or The Boss. The Bestie The Bestie is the host mom who wants to be her au pair’s good friend. She treats the au pair like a guest, buys her […]

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Open Thread: August 6

by cv harquail August 6, 2014
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Hi All– Here’s an open thread to enjoy while I get things back together over here.  A great business conference, a MIL visit, and all that freaking laundry from camp have kept me busy. What’s happening w/ you?  

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When Your Au Pair’s Visa Doesn’t Come Through– what to do?

by cv harquail July 30, 2014
apm visa

I’m expecting my first au pair to arrive in country on August 11th and to my house on August 15th. My au pair has not received her Visa and forwarded me the below photograph. Have you heard of this? What should we do? ~FranticSoonToBeHM

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