It takes a village

Hynek, our last au pair, came to the US last week and stayed with us. Hynek first came to us in March of 2001, and then he stayed in the US for several years learning how to teach. He is back in the Czech Republic now teaching. Before Hynek, Oz from Germany was with us, before that was Elian from France and before that we had Julia from Sweden. They all came to the US to learn English, and stay in the states for an extended visit. The boys learned how to interact with people who were learning how to speak English (very slowly), and about different cultures, and also many useful household repairs, like breaking broken windows and repairing holes in the wall (before Mom and Dad got home!). They also got driving lessons as they got older! They were so lucky to have these great kids come and teach them for a year at a time. The house could be a little wild, but there was alot of energy and fun. The au pair experience was great for us. Before we had au pairs we had Jennifer and Christine, two neighborhood girls who loved my boys. They were our babysitters and summer helpers when the boys were little. They have kids of their own now, and we still visit and go to significant family events. They loved the boys and also brought a lot of energy and and fun to the house.