Reply to Can two introvert parents successfully tolerate au pair?

Forum Index » Au Pair Discussion

Reply to "Can two introvert parents successfully tolerate au pair?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Yes, it is possible for you to successfully host an AP. Don’t let people tell you you are a bad host for understand your own personalities and wanted to make sure you have a compatible arrangement. DH and I are not introverted by any means, but we work really long days and appreciate some peace when we come home. I think with the right set up/planning you can make it work. Here are a few considerations:

1. Your physical arrangement. Your AP room should be private. If you find yourself sharing a bath (or even sharing a floor), it might be too close for comfort for you. Also, how is your house set up for entertainment? We have a TV in our bedroom, where I retire after dinner for a little peace and quiet. So AP can hang out in the family room and watch TV or use the computer and we still both have our privacy. Alternatively, you may want to set up a tv in AP’s room.
2. Your schedule. We personally have AP work during dinner so we can spend time together with AP as a family. But once dinner is over, we retire upstairs, I feel like it gives us both time together and alone. Depending on how old your kids are, you may want to have a similar approach, or have AP prepare and feed the kids before you come home. Some families also relieve AP as soon as they arrive so she is free to do what she wants at this time. Depending on the kind of AP you fall on, you may end up eating alone with DH. Also consider if you will need hours on the weekends. The more time off on weekend, the more likely your AP will be away from home. Most of our APs took advantage of consecutive days off to go on longer outings, and often sleep away on weekend. It offered us time to refresh away from one another, which is always good for the relationship.
3. AP’s personality. I would be careful about finding the right fit. And don’t think that because you are introvert, you should get an introvert. From my personal experience, the introverted APs are the ones who go out less and spend more time at home. In your case, you may want to find a more social and extraverted AP who will quickly make friends and spend more time out of the house.

Despite all this, I agree with some of the comments posted above. Once you set up your space and schedule to establish a relationship that will work for you, it is also essential to make time to build a relationship with AP. For us, it’s primarily during dinners, but also some weekend activities when our schedule sync up. Don’t put the exchange part of the program by the wayside…
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics