Australia - 10 things I learned as an Au Pair

Dear children lovers,
I never thought I would end up as an Au Pair. In all honesty, I considered working as an Au Pair as almost my very last option to earn money in Australia. But then I decided to answer this one add on Gumtree as it did sound quite fair and well, the next week I boarded the plane from Melbourne to Perth to start working as an Au pair - in a French family... I swear this is the best picture of the four kids and me that we could take!

I had a bit of experience with younger children before due to my younger cousines and my goddaughter but these three kids have teached me quite something, I can tell ya!

1) Patience

I thought I was a pretty patient person already but with kids you need really a LOT of patience! In regards to EVERYTHING! Changing clothes, playing games nicely and quietly, table manners, repeating words, carfting, bathing etc. It takes a lot of repeating and explaining to get them to do it properly and quickly which ultimately leads to the next thing I learned.

2) The importance of routine

Right from the beginning I knew that the evening routine and the meal routine that my hostfamily has set up for the kids was very important and a very good thing indeed! Everyone knows exactly what is happening when they sit down for lunch or dinner and how to behave at the table and in the evening they will have their bath, then dinner, then maybe a little movie if they were nice (about twice a week maybe, otherwise they weren't allowed to watch TV!!!), a bedtime story and then it is time for bed. I noticed so many little routines throughout the daily life of a family which makes things easier for everybody. You also have to set up routines for play time!

3) Going to the playground

OK, seriously, no big deal right? Go to a playground with kids and let them loose, they'll sort out themselves. Well, I found out that it is not that easy, especially if you want to keep them on the playground for a fair while. Some kids love the playground like my hostchildren but others get bored very quickly and don't even want to go there anymore. So you need lots of sand tools and a ball, water, some snacks and you need to involve the kids in the playground. You know, on the swing and the slide and climbing onto the platforms or the monkey bar. And you need to invent some games.

4) Inventing games

Some games are straight forward, like building a sand castle, chasing each other and kicking or throwing a ball. It takes a bit more creativity (or time on the internet...) to make up some new games. And if you are lucky, the kids love the game and want to play it again and again (like throwing balls intot he trampoline and throwing them out again). Unless you are a very fit and energetic person my advise is to not introduce kids to a game where you yourself have to do a lot of physical work!

5) Physical fitness

These kids kept me physically pretty fit! And believe it or not but this is mostly because of the only boy, Mayeul. The clichés are right, boys mostly run and jump and climb whereas girls are mostly more into baby toys and crafting and more quiet games.

6) Drawing and crafting

Especially Adéle was totally into drawing and crafting. The challenge was to keep her focused on one thing and to motivate her to finish something that she started. She always has very ambitious plans but not even halfway through it she would lose her interest and just start something else. At times the dinner table would overflow with half-finished drawing and other "crafts" she started. So I would sometimes sit with her and also draw something and encourage her to finish a drawing (or at least colour the whole paper). Together with Adéle and Mayeul we built a cardboard robot which they were very proud of.

7) Focus on the positive

My hostparents reassured me several times that the kids behave towards them as they behave to me and they have sometimes a really hard time too. My hostmother Cécile used to say that you have bad moments and good moments every single day but at the end of the day you focus on the good moments. So I tried to focus on the good moments when they laughed and played nicely or even when they were just quiet for a while ;-)

8) Improving my french understanding

Well, yeah, not every Au Pair in Australia has the chance to improve their French right? I hardly ever spoke French but my understanding got a lot better and sometimes I would go through a French book with the kids and my vocabulary would come back from what I've learned years ago at school or university. It was quite funny when the kids realised that I actually understood most of what they said in French ;-)

9) Food for kids

I didn't realise how much more careful you have to be with food for kids. The portions are smaller, the ingredients cut tinier and less spices are used. On the other hand I was surprised by how many different things my hostchildren ate. They liked most vegetables and fruits as well (with the odd exception of course). As true French people they loved their cheese and pies and quiches! And I loved that too! I didn't starve at all there.

10) Parent time

As much as parents love their kids, they need some time for themselves. Kids need to be in bed on time and quiet during the nap of the younger children. Once a week I would babysit the children while my hostparents would either socialise with friends and colleagues or just go out for dinner alone. Especially in the last six weeks when I worked absolutely crazy hours with my addional jobs and the extra hours due to Éléonores birth I was always so happy to have some time for myself and to gain new energy before I would jump into the toys chaos with the kids in between.

Yes, I learned a lot in my hostfamily, I got pretty attached to them and it was hard to say Goodbye after six months. My hostparents invited me to a dinner out before they dropped me off at the Perth International Airport. I hope to see them again, maybe in France or Brasil where they will head next.
My next stop: Singapore!
Yours Au Pair Stefanie