Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Ups and Downs of Being an Au Pair

It occurred to me that after 25 posts (I never know whether to call them blogs, posts, or entries), I really haven't written much about being an au pair. So if you're interested, keep on reading. If not...I'd advise you to check out theonion.com. Hilarious website and little to no au pair topics.

The life of an au pair is full of ups and downs. Many more ups come during the times spent not "on the job." But the ups which do come from the job are very rewarding. Basically, these fall in the categories of either "cute moments" or "little brother moments." The downs, though, really don't come from the kids at all. Its more about living away from home and watching the kids. That's a contradiction...I'll explain later.

UPS (not the delivery company)
I REALLY wish that I had more specific "cute moments" to share with all of you, but I have a horrible memory. I'm going to make a much better effort this time to share some of these with you.

As far as the "little brother moments", those are more general. As we get to know each other more, I feel more like an older brother to these two rather than a parent. I think all you parents out there will know what I'm talking about. I really don't have the long-term investment as a parent would have. While I want these boys to be good people...in the long run it doesn't really matter to me. I'm more like an older brother. I want to set a good example for them because I love them. My proudest moments are when I see Macsen treating Aiden like a loving older brother. More and more, he's helping Aiden when he doesn't understand something. He's being more and more patient with him. And they are playing very well with each other. Here are some examples of "little brother moments":
  • When they got home from their vacation, the boys came running up to me giving me hugs and kisses and trying to recap their entire month within the following 30 seconds.
  • When asked if they wanted to go to the park, for the 2nd day in a row, Aiden responded with a resounding "Yay! Yoo Woo!". Macsen sheepishly replied, "No". I talked to Macsen about sometimes doing things that he doesn't want to do for the good of the whole, and he changed his mind. I thought that showed great maturity.
  • I'm sitting here watching them make some crafts, and Macsen's helped Aiden with several small tasks (tearing masking tape, glue, etc.).
DOWNS
Now for that glaring contradiction. Watching the kids can be tough sometimes, but the kids themselves don't really provide me with any problems. They are really good kids, but its tough to watch kids all day. Cuteness can only last for so long and then it turns into annoyance. This is really difficult to explain. Maybe its the lack of stimulation from interacting with kids all day. Or maybe it's their constant motor that wears me out. I don't know...but its tough.

Secondly, living away from home is difficult. What's especially hard is living in someone else's home. Nothing against Greg and Juliette, for they've been fantastic to me, but the lack of independence and the lack of my own family is a large annoyance. I LOVE to live on my own...buying my own food, cleaning house the way I like to clean, etc. When I live with my real parents back home, I don't get that much independence, but living with people I love eases that problem tremendously. Here, I get neither. Its tough.

1 comment:

  1. Okay this is going to be a long comment.
    1. (In regards to this post) I totally know what you mean (in the down section) I just got a puppy and he is ridiculously adorable, but at times saying "go potty go potty go potty" gets a little annoying. Especially when we try outside for a full fifteen minutes and then Mister Adorable poops on the floor. Puppies approximately= little kids.
    2. I have never seen Citizen Kane.
    3. I am SERIOUOSLY considering coming to France in March. I just checked out prices after I saw your comment, and I am so doing it. Tips on where to fly out and in of? And is it worth coming in March? Or should I wait until May? Will you still be there then?

    The end :)

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