Letters of Recommendation: For a so-so au pair? (Poll)

by cv harquail January 20, 2010
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When your au pair is getting ready to leave you, either to end her year or to extend with a different family, it’s nice to write her a letter of recommendation. Unless, of course, you wouldn’t recommend her to anyone. When the topic of recommendation letters has come up before, you all have been of […]

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Tough Topic: When your au pair steals from you

by cv harquail January 19, 2010
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There are many topics that I have dreaded bringing up here, but I’m going to bring them up anyway with a little bit of warning… I’ll announce in the headline that it’s a “Tough Topic” and everyone will know to treat it gently. One of the painful tough topics is when you discover your au […]

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How Does Your Au Pair Grow?

by cv harquail January 17, 2010
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Truly one of the joys of being a host parent is watching your au pair blossom as a citizen of the world and as as a person. I look back in hindsight now and wish that for each of our au pairs, I had written them a note at the start of their year to […]

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Haircolor and Au Pairs: What’s up with that?

by cv harquail January 16, 2010
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Last year I made a joke in one post about au pairs spending a lot of money on Garnier Nutrisse hair color, and nobody commented… I thought I was alone in the “What’s with all the hair coloring?” question. I have since discovered, for better or worse, that I am not the only host mom […]

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EduCare or Regular Au Pair?

by cv harquail January 11, 2010
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Have you ever compared the EduCare program to the the regular Au Pair program? If you’ve chosen the EduCare, what swung you over? And, what’s your experience been with EduCare Au Pairs? What’s the EduCare Program? From the website of the US Department of State: The Au Pair program includes the EduCare component. The EduCare […]

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Protect Your Au Pair’s Off-Duty Time

by cv harquail January 11, 2010
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Au Pairs work hard. When they are off duty, they need their downtime. But, if they’re good au pairs, your kids probably like them and enjoy spending time interacting with them. Kids don’t always know the difference between on-duty and off-duty, so it’s our job as host parents to help au pairs protect their downtime. […]

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Helping Your Au Pair Extend, with Student Status: Advice Wanted

by cv harquail January 10, 2010
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Hi Au Pair Mom Readers! Love the site and am totally addicted. The advice is so helpful! I need advice on the subject of college education for my au pair. Our au pair has indicated an interest in attending university here in the U.S. instead of in her home country (Germany). It’s unclear whether she […]

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When your departing au pair sours your new au pair

by cv harquail January 5, 2010
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For many of us, a new au pair’s arrival is a chance to start fresh, with revised guidelines, new resolutions, and a new attitude. The easiest way to have a fresh start is to have a clean break between outgoing and incoming au pairs. So, even though there are many positive reasons for having your […]

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This Time Last Year: January 2009

by cv harquail December 31, 2009
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No one is more surprised than me to see how much we’ve covered here on AuPairMom! I can’t believe the number of topics, posts, comments, concerns and wisdom that have appeared here so far– and we’re still going strong! Sometimes it’s hard to remember what we’ve discussed, so here’s a new feature: This Time Last […]

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Share One Bit of Advice for a New Host Parent

by cv harquail December 30, 2009
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By popular demand, here’s a challenge to all you host parents: Your challenge: Offer ONE, just one, thing you wish you knew when you became a host parent. If someone else has already offered your #1 bit of advice, go on to share your #2 bit of advice. Let’s rack ’em up, parents. (Au pairs, […]

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