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Having an au pair around the house is a great help to parents and children. With very young kids busy parents sometimes have trouble to find time to take a shower much less socialize with their friends or simply see a movie.

An au pair can help with those problems but it doesn’t mean she will clean, wash, feed the kids and babysit when you are out. Au pairs are entitled to lots of benefits, they aren’t to be considered housekeepers or nannies, they need time to study and you have a right to ask them to babysit only for couple of nights a week. At the same time au pairs are far better than simple Nannies. Since they come from a different culture they bring a fresh understanding of the world to your household, share their customs and traditions with you, as well as their language.

Having a foreign friend around the house is a wonderful opportunity to introduce cultural diversity to your home. Your children will learn valuable lessons about different parts of the world, about foreign cuisine and way of living, literature, music, fun and games. A relationship with your au pair can be a lifelong partnership both for you and the kids. So take this opportunity to learn new things and teach your au pair something about your own culture as well.