Dear host family...
Autor: Laiana Cunningham | Publicado: 2014-02-20T22:51:00-03:00

If someday in the future I become a host mom, I will treat my au pair as my best friend, I would be the nicest, friendliest, funniest, and most laid back, host mom, even in my bad days of mood. Because that is the less someone I brought to leave inside my own house will expect from me. If something happens and I feel she is scared or embarrassed of something that might have happened,I will show my support, even been mad or upset, not just because I have been an au pair myself and I know how it feels like to feel you can't talk to anyone. But, because I'm human and I know nobody is perfect, and expecting somebody else to be is stupid .&nbsp;
  This person that works for you is also someone trying to discover the world, living in a different country, trying to have social life, learning another language while having meals, sleeping, talking and living in a house with strangers. Alone, without family, friends or community. She gave up of her house, her free time, her way to live, to dedicate her time to your family and help you.  Some girls wait years to be an au pair, they learn English, how to drive, they have dedicated their free time in their country to volunteer in kindergartens, to have experience enough to take care of your kids. It is not that simple being an au pair, my friend, trust me. It's not just make a decision and go. They have to be prepared for that, and sometimes it take years. 
  Au pair is not just someone that watches your kids, sometimes they are more than nannies, they are their sister or brother, their friend, teacher, nurse, driver, personal stylist, sometimes your au pair is more present in your kids life than you. Most of the au pairs love what they do, and they go to sleep and wake up thinking about your kids, planning what to do with them the next day, sometimes using their time off to help you.  Au pairs have learned how to deal with your kids better than anybody else, and even sometimes they being the worst kids ever, your au pair will miss them when she goes on vacations or when it's time to leave and go back home. They care about your children, the problem is  they're not even part for the family, right? Even if you say so.
    I have talked and met so many other au pairs that are happy with so little, there are great host families who truly understands about what a au pair goes through. Take, some time to think about it. It's not just money, my friend, it's the fact of their work is being recognized. Each host family shows their appreciation in different ways. Sometimes they take the au pair to travel with them, to some place they now she would like to go, and give her some time off so she can enjoy the place as well, some host families like to give small gifts on Valentine's day, Easter, Birthday or whatever the date is, just so the au pair doesn't feel alone.&nbsp;
 Tell your au pair that she is part of the family just so you can make them work extra hours, without the feeling of guilty in your mind. For some of these girls and boys your family is their family and the only people they can rely on. No pretende you didn't noticed that they are sick, think if it was your children, what you would do. If you are at home, enjoy your kids. Don't make your au pair work with you at home, it's revolting and make me sick of my stomach. It's not because you have to pay for the 45 hours/week that you have to keep them there for no reason. 
    When you treat someone that works for you the best as you can, you will see return.  Love is something you can't pay for your au pair to feel for you kids or for your family. It will be the consequence of how their are been treated. A stressed and lazy au pair is the return of your own action. If the parents are good and the kid is hard-to-dea-with kind, the au pair will try their best to keep doing their job instead of just giving up, great bosses with hard kids have more chances to keep an au pair than terrible bosses with great kids. Think about it.