"But a stranger? In your house, with your kids? You don't know them. Aren't you worried?" I get this a lot. And not just because we've hosted au pairs, but since my kids are all in school now, we host people who want to learn English, cyclists from Australia who want to train in the CA weather and terrain, and sometimes just friends of friends who need a place to stay for a few weeks. Our guests are all referred by friends. It's evenly split between men and women, and all but one have been international.

I'm rarely asked if our guests are nervous about staying with us, as if I'm the only one taking a risk. When I think of what it would be like to meet my family and get stuck living with us for months at a time, I'm surprised that some of our guests are as gracious and patient as they are. My three kids are loud. Sometimes they fight, talk back, complain about homework, and sneak onto the computer. Our schedule is hectic, the house definitely looks lived-in, and usually, there is something crazy going on, like a hose hooked up to the zip line or a soccer game on the trampoline. 

But the truth is that each guest who walks into our house is taking a risk too. Are we a safe place for them? Will we overlook the social foibles that are inevitably lost in translation? How well will we cope with the full-impact proximity of six or seven people living under one roof?

Au pairs are a terrific gateway guest because they are qualified, trained, and you can select one that is a perfect match for the age and stage of your family. But be careful. Guests are habit-forming. You might get so accustomed to the community, the extra spark in your family dynamic, the lessons you all learn from an outsider's perspective, that the worst part is not the risk, it's saying good-bye.

And then you'll wonder who's coming next, what you can bring to each other, and when you can take that trip to France, Japan, or Italy to catch up with the foreign family members who have gone back home.

I love Daylight Savings Time because it is one of the first signs that spring is around the corner.  Daylight Savings Time in the United States falls at 2:00 am on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.  In 2012, the date to "spring forward" your clocks is March 11th.

Because the idea was conceived by Benjamin Franklin many Americans think it is unique to our country, but it is observed throughout the globe.  Approximately 70 countries utilize Daylight Savings Time and Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight savings.

Benjamin Franklin initiated the idea of Daylight Savings when he was 78.  While in Paris, he observed that shifting the hours of the day would save quite a few candles.  Ever thrifty, he pursued the idea and produced the writings titled, An Economical Project.

The variability of Daylight Savings Time is shown in examples of many countries.  In the United States, Daylight Savings Time was extended in 2007 to the first Sunday in November.  Previous to 2007, it ended before Halloween and officials felt children's trick-or-treating in the light was safer than in the dark.  In Brazil, the date varies depending upon when Carnaval falls.  The Brazilians always extend Daylight Savings Time to include the week of Carnaval.

Because of the inconsistent nature of Daylight Savings, this is a cultural difference that may be overlooked.  Have fun sharing Daylight Savings Time occurrences and customs in your country as a host parent or an au pair.  The website:  http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html has much more information on Daylight Savings Time in the United States and other countries around the world.

One of the most important parts of my jobs as an Area Director is answering questions regarding the au pairs' schedule. While the answers are not always black and white, we can offer some very helpful guidelines.  This week, one of my au pairs emailed to ask about working hours. Karina and her host family understood the maximum of 10 hours a day, but it was what constituted “working hours” that seemed to be a question.

Karina was scheduled from 10am-8pm. While just 10 hours, the host family would not be arriving home until 10pm. Since the au pair would put the children to bed at 8pm, they did not see why hours the kids were sleeping would count as work time.

After hearing from Karina, I got in touch with her host family to go over the work hours again. While her hours worked on paper, they over looked one important rule of thumb: should there be an emergency, who would be in charge of the children? Clearly, with no other adults in the home, the au pair would be the care giver. Armed with this new perspective, the host family adjusted Karina’s schedule to be more in line with Department of State schedule requirements.

This week, I heard from a host mom who was helping her au pair fill out her paperwork for her return flight.  This paperwork, like the extension application, is due to headquarters the first of the month before the au pairs program year ends, and allows her to choose her top choices for departure dates and cities. 

Louisa and her host mom wondered if Louisa was allowed to say in the area after her year ended.  Her plan was to stay with her host family for a week to visit friends, go on a trip for a week, and then come back to her host family home for a few days to sat her final goodbyes and pack. 

I let them know that this was a fine arrangement - at the end of their year, au pairs are allowed to remain in the US for up to one month.  This is a perfect time to travel and see sights they missed during their year.  Louisa was thrilled for the chance to spend a little extra time with everyone she had grown to love during her year before returning home to school.