Tag Archives: host family

Making Thanksgiving Memories Together

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in the United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.  The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together.

Martin Cathrae

 “My favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. Firstly, it was my first holiday with the whole family in America. Secondly, the whole family came together. All aunts and uncles and their kids came to grandma’s. We played football with all of them, including grandma and grandpa. It was the first time I played it and it was so much fun for all. We had a great dinner with all the typical things you can imagine … it was deeeelicious! It was so great to be with such a big family and I really enjoyed that day. I will remember it my whole life, I hope.” – Swantje from Germany

Here are a few tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

Host Parents
Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs
If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend, so they may make plans. If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans, so I can assist.

Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

Bonus Tip for the Kids
If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cookies. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

 

5 Thanksgiving Tips for Au Pairs & Host Parents

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Even though a few other countries also celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still considered a uniquely American holiday, one that the au pairs look forward to experiencing. You can learn more about it here.

“I really enjoyed Thanksgiving with my host family. It was as I imagined! So much food to try. Everyone got dressed up and shared what they were thankful for. It was so warm and special. The next day we began to prepare for Christmas. It was magical.” Selina from Germany

Below you will find some tips to help you have a terrific Thanksgiving experience.

 

Host Parents

1.  Please plan to include your au pair in your Thanksgiving celebration, if at all possible. Thanksgiving with an au pair offers an opportunity to consider the relevance of the history and meaning of Thanksgiving as you compare the hospitality offered by the Native Americans to the recently arrived Pilgrims and the hospitality you offer your au pair.

2.  If you are traveling or will not be able to invite your au pair to join you for Thanksgiving, give her plenty of notice and help her make alternate plans. You don’t want to leave your au pair alone over the holiday.

Au Pairs

3.  If you are invited to attend dinner, please let your family know within 5 days of the invitation, whether you are planning to attend. It is considered rude in America to accept the invitation for dinner and then change your mind later in the month. Please be thoughtful.

4.  Make sure to discuss time off during this holiday weekend. Many host families work the Friday after Thanksgiving so do not assume you have this day off or the entire weekend. Talk to your host family, BEFORE you make any plans.

5.  If your host family is unable to include you in their Thanksgiving plans, please let me know if you have trouble making other plans. You may be able to join a friend and their host family for the holiday dinner.

Bonus Tip for the Kids

If you are looking for a fun recipe to make with your au pair, check out these turkey cupcakes. Find more fun activities and recipes on the Au Pair in America Fall Holidays pinboard.

Photo: Tim Sackton (Flickr)

Fall is Apple Season

apples1 Apples come in many varieties, colors, shapes and sizes.  Some are wonderful to munch on, others are best when cooked.  Regardless of the variety apple picking is a fun activity.  If you do go apple picking you will almost certainly bring home more apples than you can possibly eat, but there are lots of fun things to do with apples, and many ways to eat them as well.

Applesauce is very simple to make.  Remove the core and quarter the apples.  If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color.  When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve.  Add sugar if needed.

Try making dried apple rings.  They are easy and can be used as a nutritious snack.  Peel, core and slice as many apples as you like into 1/8 inch rings (Macintosh or Golden Delicious apples work best).  Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color.  Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place.  They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.

The Importance Of Complying With Au Pair Program Rules and Regulations

The au pair program is a state department regulated cultural exchange program and by joining it, host families have agreed to comply with the program rules and regulations, most of which are set by the State Department.  During busy times of your life as a host family it might be tempting to make exceptions to the rules.  However, it is important to keep to the program rules and make sure that alternate arrangements are made in times of high need.

Please remember that your most important asset is your kids, and the au pair is the one watching them.  The way the au pair is treated automatically affects the way she interacts with your children.  An au pair that feels respected and like a member of the family (versus an employee) will be happier and will have more pleasant interactions with you and your children.  An au pair that is not stressed and tired because she is overworked will be more focused on the safety and well-being of your children.

Please remember that even if an au pair agreed to disregard regulations, it does not make it right.  Many au pairs might not agree, but are too afraid to speak up to you.  They are far away from their own home and you are their family away from home.  Here is a quote from one of my host mothers, Elizabeth: “It’s not a matter of Jomkwan’s willingness, we know she would probably be willing to work overtime in exchange for money or extra days off. We don’t feel comfortable violating the rules of the program. I know lots of people do it, and the au pairs go along willingly, but I think our relationship with Jomkwan has been better because we follow the rules so strictly, even though she’d probably be happy to go along with bending them now and then. We’re talking here about a young woman who is smart and responsible and resourceful, but who is also living in our house thousands of miles from her own home with a limited grasp of English. She’s also from a culture where deferring to authority is the norm. We are very sensitive to the fact that she has a diminished ability to tell us no when we make a request; following the program rules to the letter is an insurance against making her feel pressured to do things that she would rather not do.”

Here is a list of the most important program rules and regulations relating to the daily interactions with your au pair:

-Au Pair’s work hours cannot exceed 45 hours for the week.  There is no banking of hours.  If an au pair only worked 20 hours one week, she cannot be expected to work 65 the next week.

-Scheduled working hours cannot exceed 10 hours per day.  Do not leave an au pair in sole charge of a child overnight.

-Au Pair gets 1.5 days off a week, and a full weekend every month.

-Au Pair cannot alone with the children during the first 3 days after she has arrived in your home.

-Never leave an au pair in sole charge of an infant under 3 months old.

-Au Pair may not care for the children of other families unless it is an occasional playdate.

-Your au pair can be expected to do chores associated with taking care of your children.  Au pairs are not housekeepers, cooks, or maids.  They are not responsible for house cleaning.

-Provide the au pair the opportunity to attend monthly cluster meetings.

-Facilitate the opportunity for your au pair to register and take the required educational classes

-Treat the au pair like a member of your family

originally posted by Bettina Velona