You just finished school and are ready to start the adventure of a lifetime. After thorough research you decided to become an Au Pair. You talked to potential Host Families and finally found your perfect match.
Or so you thought. Unfortunately,
your Host Kids don’t seem to be too accepting of you. So, what can you as the Au Pair do? Read on to find out.
Their first Au Pair
If you’re the family’s first Au Pair, chances are that your Host Kids simply
don’t understand the situation. Why is there a
strange person in their house
taking them to school when all these years their parents drove them? Adapting to a new situation is always hard, so sit down with your Host Family and
explain the Au Pair program to the kids. They might even be scared to lose their parents, since a lot of the tasks they used to take on are now part of the Au Pair’s job. Tell them that they will always be there for them, but they now also have an additional big sibling. This way they know they won’t lose anything, but instead
gain a new family member.
One of the Au Pairs after
It took some time, but your Host Kids finally welcomed their first Au Pair into their hearts. They had a great time together, but now it’s time to say goodbye, even though they don’t want to. If you’re the Au Pair after, no matter how fun and upbeat you are, your Host Kids might keep their distance. Why?
They are very likely to
miss their old Au Pair. The reason they don’t seem to like you might be because they miss their old Au Pair.
Give them time. They are still sad their big sibling had to leave and are
not ready to replace them just like that. Take part in as many
family activities as possible. Your Host Kids might be able to get used to you faster this way. However, try not to keep them from talking about their old Au Pair. Even though they are not around anymore, they are still a very
important part of your Host Kids’ lives.
Back in my time as an Au Pair, the old Au Pair’s name was being dropped a lot of times during the first few weeks. But that doesn’t mean the kids didn’t like me. All it meant was that they missed one of their best friends and talking about her was their way to keep her close. It’s actually pretty sweet if you think about it. And knowing that they would probably be talking about me in the same way after I left was a nice thought, too.
To conclude, what should you do if your Host Kids don’t accept you as their Au Pair? Talk to them, give them time and most importantly: respect their feelings. Your Host Kids are smart, I’m sure they will see the great person you are soon enough.
Sammy-Jo
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