Classic case

Why Extend an Au Pair Who Bothers You?

by cv harquail August 18, 2015
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What We Think vs. What We Know This FrustratedHM thinks she should extend with her less than so-so Au Pair. But she knows that she doesn’t want to. Why is it that so many times we ask each other for permission to do what we know is the right action? As if someone’s going to […]

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Classic Case: Should we keep trying with a Mediocre Au Pair?

by cv harquail March 4, 2014
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Here’s a situation we see time and time again on AuPairMom: The family has an au pair (often, their first one) and the au pair is only okay. The au pair’s relationship with the kids is “fine”, but the au pair doesn’t follow through on her other responsibilities. The host parents have tried a few […]

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Classic Case: Can you change a Princess?

by cv harquail February 2, 2011
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A Host Mom writes: Hello! I am writing because I have a bit of a princess situation on my hands — a princess situation with nuance. I am looking for advice on how to try to make this work. Our new AP, 19 years old, arrived about a month ago from a Western European country. […]

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Classic Case: We’re in rematch… Now what?

by cv harquail January 15, 2011
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Sometimes the questions we get are so big and so overwhelming to imagine answering, that the email ends up sitting in my box for days and days, waiting for me to get up the energy to tackle it. And so it was with this email, below. A first time host mom asks — We’re in […]

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Classic Case: Your childcare needs are not your Au Pair’s priority

by cv harquail December 29, 2010
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There are several situations that host parents and au pairs seem to see over and over. Each time, the situation has its own particular details, and it is happening to a host parent or au pair who feels the problems acutely and specifically. And yet, the situation has an underlying issue that we see time […]

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