My chiropractor has one and was telling me how it has been great for him and his children. They only stay 1 year and go to school while they are here. He has had one from Italy and his current one is from Poland. I could really use the help but I am uneasy about having someone live with us full time.
JennRenee
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Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
I was JUST discussing this with a parent of one of my students. They have always had one and absolutely love it. The only down side they mentioned is that the children get very upset when one goes back to her home country.
I considered this option for a while. Patrick was all for it, but in the end, I'd rather not share my home full time.
OctBride03
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Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
A friend of mine had two and neither one worked out. As much of a help it is to have someone there all the time, it's a HUGE adjustment to having someone strange living in your home. They are supposed to have their own bedroom and bathroom. I remember she had to re-do her basement. This is a woman with 4 children and she decided that her and her husband is all that's needed to care for her kids. This is just one story, thought I'd share. I'm sure it's different for everyone!
alina
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Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
a coworker of mine had a few, some were good, some weren't so good.
MarcellaBella
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Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
My friend's stepmom swears by au pairs.. she had like 3 of them at one time.. she LOVES them and would recommend them to anyone..
Stacey1403
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Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
The only problems I have have heard of is sometimes they get really homesick(especially if they have a BF at home, I think some of them are sent because their parents want them to get an education) and/or they get really wild. For some of them it is there first time away from home. I know someone who used a company that only used American girls, they were from Seattle and Oregon. They loved their girl
merf99
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Member since
Re: Any opinions on having an au pair?
I can speak firsthand about this since I had an au pair from about the age of 4 till I went to college (I had younger brothers). We LOVED having au pairs. They came from other countries like Sweden, England, Finland, Ireland and they all spoke English. They were all young and came to the US to learn about the US, take care of us and have a good time and meet people. We did have some who were homesick and went home but that didn't happen often. We were sad when they left but we also new we had someone new coming to live with us. It was a great way to learn about other countries, learn other languages, and really just learn to be tolerant of different people. We still keep in touch with most of our au pairs (some have kids of their own) and still consider them part of our families.
The only thing is, that you really need to treat this person like a part of the family. We had no problem with that but for some, it might be hard if you're not used to it. They came on family vacations with us, went out to eat with us, everything (as long as they wanted to do it). But all in all, I HIGHLY recommend it.
