I realized my Au Pair had changed my life for the better when my kids told me and my husband that we were so much more fun than ‘before.’ I asked him to explain what he meant and he went on to tell me that we don’t seem so tired and ‘boring.’ I laughed, but I understood exactly what he meant. The day that Andrea became a part of our family, our lives changed.
No longer do we start our day hustling and fussing with our children to get ready and out the door 2 hours before school begins for them. Mornings used to be rough for us and ended with either children or adults on the verge of tears. Now, our mornings consist of walking the kids downstairs where they can get ready on their own pace and have a nice hot meal to start their day. Every day, Andrea is ready and waiting to start the day with all four of our kids. There are no tears when I pass my toddler to her and walk out the door to go to work. My daughter loves spending time with Andrea. They dance, shop and cook together while the older children are at school. Andrea is always taking the kids on some sort of “adventure” as they call it.
Additionally, my children are being exposed to new language and culture daily. There is a joke that Andrea shared with me that went somewhere along the lines of “My baby has my eyes, my husband’s smile and my Au Pair’s accent”. It is very true in our family. Andreas has been in our family for some of the most formidable months of my youngest daughter’s development. We have noticed clearly that she understands both English and Spanish commands. We are beyond excited about this cultural exposure the kids are receiving. My oldest daughter asked Andrea to give her personal Spanish lessons so that she would be ready for middle school in a couple of years and Andrea has been doing daily lessons with her. I love to hear my children feel confident in speaking and practicing a new language.
Not only have we had the opportunity to interact with Andrea, but we regularly speak with her family as well. We are learning how important family is to her and feel honored that her family considers us family as well. We laugh and joke on facetime as if we have known each other for years. I am sure my youngest daughter thinks Andrea’s mom is one of her grandmothers. Most conversations end with us thanking them for sharing Andrea with us and promising to keep her safe.
So, since Andrea has arrived, my family is more fun. We get to save our energy and focus toward quality time with our children. We have more time for jokes and games before and after work, because Andrea takes care of a lot of the upkeep that comes with having 4 small children. Not only did we get a responsible and caring person to look after our children, we got a new member of our family. We tell all of our friends and family that we could absolutely positively not imagine our lives without Andrea and the GoAuPair family.
