How I know my host family is amazing:
I see the faith they have in me. And I see those incredible human beings they made. And here’s the secret: over time, I start to love their children as my own children too. I love and worry about you them. I dream about who they are going to become, and wonder what they will look like when they grow up.
I want the best for these kids and over the time I care for them, they nestle deep within my heart. It’s extremely difficult to explain how deep is my love for these children; All I can say is I love them beyond what you imagine. Helping to raise other people’s children is an experience for a lifetime, but not every day is easy. But definitely Jenn and Ricardo recognize and validate my hard work and the challenges I face and I’m so grateful for it.
We also have beautiful and unexplained days that we get to witness: the first smiles, the small conquests of crawling, the songs they learn so fast, the big smiles when you say: frogs, “The Octonauts,” the unconditional love they show in every abstract drawing made with crayon. There are times they drive me crazy. But, then there are times when I just can’t stop laughing, the kind of laughter that causes your abs to get one heck of a workout because they constantly brighten my day.
My host kids are teaching me, not the other way around…
I know it is supposed to be me helping them learn valuable lessons in life, such as don’t open the door when someone’s going to the bathroom, but they’re the ones who are helping me. Life just happens, plain and simple. This family has taught me that sometimes in life you can’t plan what’s going to happen, but you can plan on how you handle it. I know life isn’t always happy-go-lucky, but you two have never let that stop you from putting a smile on your face and happiness in my day.
They’ve taught me that you should never apologize for who you are because who you are is good enough. The confidence you have at the young ages you are makes me ask myself what is stopping me from seeing myself in the same way. I may raise my voice and act mad at them, but it’s all out of love, and maybe a little bit of anger because they really shouldn’t go play in the mud with the froggies and then walk on Jenn’s expensive white blanket, but mostly love.
They are more than just the kids I take care of, they have become more like the little siblings I never had. Thank you for making my days full of endless entertainment, joy, and craziness. As au pairs, we are gonna be a happy childhood memory, a special song, some words learned in another language, a memory of favorite food smell or a random word with a very funny accent. I will carry the Perez Family in my heart for the rest of my life. Thank you for choosing me.
