I am thrilled to nominate my au pair, Johanna, for the 2020 Love My Au Pair contest! Johanna is a joy to be around and an indispensable part of our family. Johanna has consistently demonstrated how devoted and driven she is through her enthusiasm for her work, our children and life in general. Before she arrived, we struggled to encourage my son to sit still and do his homework. He would often use negative self-talk, saying it is too difficult to learn how to read and he was discouraged that his friends seemed to be doing better than him in school.
Johanna has encouraged him to try his best and has been consistent with him but not too strict.
The results speak for themselves. My son is now very confident and excited to learn, and he asks
me to read to him every night. Johanna has also become the big sister that my daughter has always wanted. My daughter loves Johanna so much that she will often pretend to fall asleep only to wake up and try to sneak into Johanna’s room so that they can have some girl time. When I asked my daughter why she thinks Johanna should be nominated for a prize, she said “because she loves kids and she is a great cook!”, which is even more impressive considering how my daughter is a very picky eater!
Johanna has shown that she is a professional by keeping the kids on schedule, consistently providing structure and maintaining a daily routine. She created an innovative way to encourage the kids to accomplish all of their tasks. She made a chart which they use every day and she puts a star sticker on the chart each time they finish a task, so they get one smiley face for each task performed. At the end of the week, she gives them a ‘special prize’ even if they didn’t complete everything (because she makes them try their best every time). This has been a very effective motivator for my kids. More than just being creative, Johanna is also very friendly and responsible. Johanna makes my morning routine so much better. She manages to keep the kids on time for school every single day, no exceptions, having eaten breakfast and with a backpack full of completed homework, a delicious lunch, and any library books that may have easily been misplaced before Johanna got involved in the morning routine. I now arrive at work refreshed and ready for the day, when before Johanna arrived I was already exhausted from getting the kids to school. When I come home, I know that the homework has been done, and my kids are not starving, so I can cook a full dinner without feeling rushed to feed my kids snack food instead of a nutritious meal. Moreover, I know that they have gotten some fresh air and are ready to wind down for the evening. These things make for a peaceful home environment and take the stress out of the daily routine.
Communication between us and our time spent together has been excellent, and I consider Johanna to be a trusted nanny and friend. Since Johanna was a re-match au pair, I had many doubts and hesitations, both because I was unsure if I was providing a good environment for an au pair, and because I was not sure if she had made some poor choices. I was so relieved to have had such a positive experience with Johanna, and the experience has taught me that when the right match is made, it is a very enriching and positive experience for everyone.
Johanna has enriched our lives in many ways. She has taught us Latin dance, and we have enjoyed many dance parties before bedtime (sometimes Mom will even join in!). She has shared with us some delicious delicacies from Ecuador since she is such a good cook. Johanna is active with the Go Au Pair community and spends her free time with other au pairs. Her time spent with the au pairs has given Johanna a strong sense of community and support, and it is clearly having a positive impact on her. Johanna’s family at home speaks with her often and are excited to support her as she experiences a new country. Johanna’s success is my family’s success, so I am so grateful to Go Au Pair for helping us find the best match possible and I know Johanna deserves to be recognized for the tremendous job she is doing!
