FAQ's for an Au Pair
Q: Do you have your own section of the house?
A: lot of people do, but not me. I have a small room that is partially used as the family's office.
Q: Do you like the job?
A: Yes, The kids are cool so as long as I can get them in the proper mentality, we can do any thing together. Like this I often have picnics, spend afternoons in the park, and go to museums. Furthermore, it's really laid back and for the first time in years I have plenty of time to study language and pursue hobbies (such as writing).
Q: Is it weird living with a family?
A: No, this family is really cool.
Q: What's the weirdest part of the job?
A: Meeting kids in the middle of their lives. Let me give you an example, the older girl that I care for LOVES Selena Gomez. If I were a parent and spent the last ten years adjusting to life as a parent, one of two things would inevitably happen;
1) I would be jaded by the bad music and not listen closely to the words anymore.
or
2) I would redevelop innocence in a way that prevents my mind from jumping to disturbing interpretations.
But the other day when she put on a Selena Gomez CD the first song I heard was called, "Birthday." This is how it starts.
Tell 'em that it's my birthday [x3]
When I party like that
Every night's my birthday
They don't know, so it's okay
Tell 'em that it's my birthday
When I party like that
I don't know what a 10 year old thinks when they hear this but I don't think 10 year olds should be planning on doing birthday activities that require an explanation.
There's also this.
Falling into you, falling into me (so yummy)
How do you do, come and meet the queen, cake and cream
Blow your dreams, blow your dreams, blow your dreams away with me
Blow your dreams, blow your dreams, blow your dreams away with me
So yummy
It took me three listens before I managed to put a positive spin on these lyrics. They're making birthday wishes together, right?
I'm going to go ahead and skip over One Direction lyrics. I suppose if I had an au pair when I was 10 she would have felt exactly the same about the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys.
Q: Have you had any problems living with the family?
A: Up until today, I would say absolutely not. However, today I harshly scolded this young lady for the first time. It was related to invasion of privacy and destruction of personal property. Let me start at the beginning.
In case some are unaware of how annoying Apple can be, let me give a brief explanation. I bought my computer in 2007. She's still going strong but can no longer be updated. I bought my Iphone (no longer used as a phone) in 2011, and it's fine. The only problem is that after an update last fall, my Iphone cannot connect to Itunes. I believe she will only fornicate with those who fall within her strict age range. In other words, my computer is too old to support the latest version of Itunes. Ultimately this means that I can never change the music on it but can still upload pictures.
Back to the story... On Tuesday, I realized, after two ten year old girls tried to crack the password for my Iphone, that it could become locked temporarily. Naturally, I was slightly annoyed when I had to wait an hour to use it but after spending an entire day giggling with 10 year olds and fondly remembering my past, I nostalgically let it go.
As I don't work Wednesdays, I spent the next two days elsewhere and returned Thursday for work. This afternoon after the baby started his nap, I tried to use my Iphone and discovered it is locked forever. My mind immediately jumped to Tuesday when it had been locked and thought about the motives of everyone in the house to go into my room and play with my phone. Of course I didn't *see* it happen, and she claims it was the baby so nobody really knows what to believe.
Due to this permanent lock, the only way to open it is to connect to a computer with Itunes. For this I can probably use somebody elses computer. In reality the only real loss (other than time lost on this project and finding another computer) is that my pictures from my vacation with my brother from last week can never be recovered. Plus, the mother is awfully understanding and I believe her and I will find a fair way to resolve this problem.
In reality, no, I don't really have problems living with the family, nothing more annoying than dealing with Apple, anyway.
Any more questions about the life as an au pair?
