Another member- our Au Pair

Being a working mom and wife is tough at times. Though my family had my full attention on my week-offs but on working days, managing office and family sometimes got too hectic that I felt like running away just for a moment.

My friend suggested me to get an au pair for kids. I didn’t like the idea of living with a stranger under the same roof. My friend, Annet had one at her home. She told me to spend some time with her so that I could change my perception. Luckily it worked for me and still I thank Annet to introduce me to this amazingly helpful concept of getting childcare.

I contacted Select Au Pairs to help me throughout the process. God really wanted to see me and my family happy. I got an au pair, Zoe. I had few requirements and she totally fitted the bill.

She was from a well off family from London. A sweet bubbly girl who knew what her responsibilities were. From the first day at my home, my daughters Zara and Holly fell in love with her. She took care of them when I was home and when I wasn’t. She used to take them to school, playgrounds and other kids’ activities. She also helped me in house chores. She had her studies to do but she managed everything so well.

She was like a member to my family. She wasn’t too young or too old, she was just 21. At times when I used to be tired from work, she used to talk to me and her words used to be calming and supportive at the same time. She had a good rapport with my husband too.

We all were a cute family. I never thought I would accept her the way I accepted her. Sometimes I, my husband and Zoe used to talk about issues related to her college and our office. We used to have grown-up talks which would just go on and on. She was like an elder sister to my kids; a friend to my husband; and both friend and sister to me.

She loved us and we loved her. We extended our contract with her and she stayed with us for two more years. We all grew together as a family. It has been 2 years since she moved out and we are still in contact.

I thank Select Au Pairs to introduce me to Zoe, another member of my family.

Best Host Mom an Au Pair could get!

I moved to Sydney from California just after one week after completing my high school. I was happy as well as confused at the same time. I was happy as I was about to step into a new family but I was confused about how they would treat me, whether they would think of me as an experience Au Pair or a new member to their family.

My mom always said I was a lucky child. Luck always accompanied me in all major and important situations of my life. Luck moved with me to Sydney too.

My Host family had three members and one yet to step into the beautiful world. The host mom, Mia was three months pregnant when I moved with them; her husband, Harvey worked in some law firm and they had a naughty but handsome two year old boy, Steve.

I was given my own room and it had all the stuff that I needed. The day I reached, Mia arranged a small dinner with two families and their professional Au Pairs from neighborhood. It was an evening well spent. I came to know a lot about my host family that night. They were a little family who knew how to enjoy with others.  Those Au Pairs gave me some basic tips for this new start of my life.

Mia loved to read. She gave me some pretty good books to read in free time. She was a lady with elegance, smartness, intelligence, street smartness and an amazing sense of humor. Steve loved me. We would play and study together every day.  As Mia was pregnant, she used to stay at home. She always made me feel like a family member. Every day we all would have dinner and then watch TV together. I used to talk to Mia and Harvey like a daughter and they would advise me like my parents. They welcomed me with their arms wide open.

On my birthday, she cooked my favorite dish and made my favorite chocolate fudge cake. We went out in for a movie and dinner in one of the restaurants that served best pizza. They didn’t give me a single moment to miss family and friends.

The time came when the new baby girl, Kate stepped into the world. She was as pretty as Mia. With Kate, came new responsibilities but Mia always made sure that I was getting time for my activities. We celebrated many occasions together and clicked innumerous pictures. Steve and Kate were lucky to have such an amazing mom.

The year went away in a flick. I had to shift to another family. It was heartbreaking to leave them but it was something I knew from the start. I was blessed to have such an amazing host family and host mom.

How much I miss my Au Pair?

I am a grown up teenage girl now. I don’t have any siblings and both my parents are busy, quite busy in their personal lives. When I was a baby, my grannies used to live at our place so they could take care of me but they could not stay forever at our place. So, I was sent to daycare. I liked being with other kids and playing with so many toys.

When I was 5 years old, my parents decided to get an Au Pair for me. I was told that they would call a lovely girl in our family for some time to take care of the things around.  As a single kid, I didn’t like the idea initially because I thought my parents’ love and attention would get divided between me and her but I was wrong. I was so wrong.

She was from Australia and her name was summer. Mommy and Daddy were nice to her and she was nice to all of us. She was given her own room, next to mine. She used to play with me when my parents were out for work, used to help me in my home-work, used to take me to gardens and play-grounds. I liked her in fact I loved her. Summer saw me growing from a child to a girl. She was just like a family member and we all loved each other.

She used to help my parents in house chores too. She had joined some classes on weekends so then I got to see her less as she used to study too but she was always there whenever I needed her. She was like a mother, a father, a friend and a sister. Though she stayed with us just for a year but I would never forget her. She taught me many things apart from playing with me.

She visited us twice after she left our place. She was an amazing girl. I wish all the happiness in world for her and wish every kid gets an Au Pair like her.