au pair

Our Au Pair Wants to Extend and We’d Rather Not

by cv harquail August 27, 2009
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Uh Oh. A clash of expectations on the horizon. And, once you discuss it, you might get some pushback from your au pair…. Our au pair has been with us about 5 months. She is ok. Not great by any means. We are not planning to extend with her. Our biggest issue with her is […]

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Checkout Task List: Back by popular demand

by cv harquail August 26, 2009
checklist

(Several readers have asked to see this list again… turns out it’s been hard to find, probably I need to use more & better tags. Until the rainy day when I get to play with the folksonomy, here’s the Checkout Task List! originally posted Aug 25, 2008) When your aupair is getting ready to leave […]

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Scheduling your kid(s) week: Can the AP be in charge?

by cv harquail August 25, 2009
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I have a question for those seasoned HP’s… School has started for us. I was really prepared with the summer calendar so that the kids (very different ages and needs) were stimulated and the AP wasn’t overwhelmed. But now, one child is in school and the other child is bored. The younger one goes to […]

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“No Room at the Inn” because AP changed her plans. Now what? (Poll)

by cv harquail August 22, 2009
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My au pair’s vacation is coming up. To cover for her, we’re having both sets of grandparents come stay over. They’ll be here for a month, but will overlap for a little over a week. The overlap will occur while the AP is on vacation. We have a smallish house – 3 bedrooms. Our “guest […]

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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
Stop all the clocks.... Photo 3 of 3 "SOOC" edition on Flickr - Photo Sharing!_1240241782069.jpeg

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
Thumbnail image for Gossip Girls: When your AP tells stories, what can you do? u said what about me cartoon.png

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
Suitcase with Ribbon lost star.jpeg

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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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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