For some American families, particularly those that are monolingual, hiring an au pair might seem daunting. All au pairs are foreign nationals, which means they will speak English as a second (or sometimes third) language. If you don’t speak another language, or if you’ve never communicated regularly with someone who isn’t a native English speaker, you might wonder if you’ll be able to understand your au pair and vice versa. [...] Read More »

Parenting is a full-time job – but unlike other full-time jobs, you will never be asked to sit down for an annual review or get a thoughtful assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Any parenting goals you set for yourself will be yours alone – so why not give it a try? We crowd sourced the Internet for some useful ideas. [...] Read More »

With less than a week to go before 2017, the time has come to ask yourself what you’d like to accomplish in the year ahead. Or in other words, what’s your New Year’s resolution? [...] Read More »

Watching Christmas-themed movies at the holidays is a tradition for many U.S. families – not to mention an interesting and easy cultural activity you can do with your professional au pair! We’ve put together an assortment of classic films in four categories: older classics, modern classics, animated classics and even a selection of films not typically thought of as Christmas films. Enjoy! [...] Read More »

Finding a gift for the child or children in your life always seems easier than finding a gift for an adult – particularly if it’s an adult you’ve only recently gotten to know. As a follow up to last week’s post on holiday gift ideas for your professional au pair, today we’ve compiled an assortment of great gift idea for host parents or other adults in your friends and family circle. [...] Read More »