Today I randomly received a phone call from a friend and she asked me about my experience now that I have an au pair. I love talking about myself, my experiences, and sharing information, so it was really cool to be able to help a friend out. Another friend mentioned to me that she had been an au pair before, so I've been chatting with her about her experience and trying to figure out steps I can take to be a supportive host family. I want to be a person who is open, helpful, and supportive.
Now I have experience with traditional daycare, a nanny, and an au pair, so if you have questions about these options and want to hear my opinions please do feel free to give me a call or send me a message. The short answer is I think these can all be great options for a family.
Some experiences I haven't tried are using in-home daycare, being a stay at home mom, working a shifted schedule, or relying on family.
I believe there are many beautiful ways to raise a family. I also believe it can be challenging and that there are tradeoffs in each choice. I think one important thing we can do is support each other as best we can.
My husband and I both got to be home with Neil for a while before we started him at daycare. I am still thankful for all caretakers who were part of my son's first two years: Ms. Fawn, Ms. Oliva, Ms. Jessica, Ms. Annika, Ms. Kendra, Ms. Lilly, Ms. Brenna, Ms. Robyn, etc.
After my second baby was born, we transitioned to having Brooklynn (our temporary nanny) care for my two boys. She decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and before she officially left, she sent me a couple of beautiful videos of her singing a couple of the songs she would sing to my boys every day.
This past month we welcomed Miki (our au pair from Japan) into our family. She's been doing great work for our family too.
I'm grateful for the village I have helping me raise my children. Thank you!
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