au pair advice

Christmas Tip: Make sure your Au Pair has a stocking

by cv harquail December 10, 2009
200812111017.jpg

If you are a first-time host family, and if you celebrate Christmas, you might find yourself caught off guard when you begin to incorporate your Au Pair into your family traditions. Some families will want their au pair to help select and decorate the tree, others won’t. Some families will invite the au pair to […]

21 comments Read the full article →

It’s not you, it’s her. Let her go, move on.

by cv harquail June 5, 2009
sender.jpg

Hi AuPair Mom and other other host moms (and dads), Our situation is confounding us! Please help us understand… We have had an absolutely bright, lovely, and energetic 20-year-old Swedish au pair for two months. We had a great first month with her and couldn’t imagine getting along better with anyone! We had a great […]

7 comments Read the full article →

What’s the cure for “Summer Fever”?

by cv harquail May 22, 2009
_1267_1262838496_a792db3c0d.jpg

When seasons change, so do family schedules. When family schedules change, so do au pair schedules. And when au pair schedules change, sometimes you uncover a problem. For my family, there is a big difference between winter and summer. In the summer, we spend weekends and even some full weeks at my dad’s house at […]

15 comments Read the full article →

Should you share your au pair?

by cv harquail May 14, 2009
_3241_2787032287_3e3f592017.jpg

Good friends share with each other… tips about shoe sales, complaints about PTA events, and the whipped cream on their Frappucinos (yes, really. Ask Jenny.) But, as a good friend, should you share your au pair? (Note that it’s against the guidelines of most agencies for your au pair to work for anyone but you. […]

26 comments Read the full article →

Make your home a nest of creativity

by cv harquail March 19, 2009
artyowza.jpeg

Perhaps one of the most useful bits of advice for managing an au pair relationship is "be creative". Creative in terms of how you see things, how you respond to challenges, how you integrate your priorities and your au pair’s abilities, and how you develop a relationship between your kids and your au pair. It […]

2 comments Read the full article →

Terms of Endearment and Moms’ Deepest Fears. Also, Childcare Myths.

by cv harquail March 12, 2009
Etsy TessaAnn.jpeg

Over in the Skribit feature, as a suggested topic, an anonymous person asked “How to deal with the fact that the child calls the Au Pair ‘mom’.” When I first saw this topic suggestion, I planned to ignore it. I wasn’t sure it was from a real host mom. Honestly, how many times have you […]

4 comments Read the full article →

Advice Wanted: Untruthful and ungrateful — what to do?

by cv harquail January 24, 2009
little-white-lies-fingers crossed behing back

One of our moms has an au pair challenge that combines two of the most frustrating au pair-related problems: (1) Her au pair doesn’t always tell the truth, and (2) her au pair doesn’t seem to appreciate what the host mom & family have to offer her. To top that off, our host mom hasn’t […]

12 comments Read the full article →

Help: My Au Pair is Blogging about My Family!

by cv harquail January 11, 2009
pandorasbox.jpg (JPEG Image, 350x263 pixels)_1231704977628

It’s s Web 2.0 nightmare no Au Pair Host Parent is ready for — your au pair is blogging about your kids, your family, your discipline strategies, and who knows what all else. And the picture is not altogether flattering. What do you do? Here’s how md describes her challenge and her request for advice: […]

24 comments Read the full article →

Poll: Do you ask your Au Pair to walk your dog?

by cv harquail January 8, 2009
And the little sweetie pie

Let’s take a walk into another grey area of potential au pair responsibilities- your family dog. “Officially”, here in the USofA, your (See Dawn’s comment, below) with my agency, APIA, the Au Pair is not supposed to do any dog (or pet) care at all. Still, since the dog is part of the family, and […]

17 comments Read the full article →

Can you guess what prompted this Host Parent tip?

by cv harquail January 5, 2009
bleach cleaner au pairs system

My husband laughs at me — in a kind way, he insists — every time he sees me do something like this. I try to explain that there is indeed a method to my madness, and that behind every quirky tactic in our household is an accident that’s now easier to avoid. But he still […]

10 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →