The Workplace and Pregnancy

As is the usual case, there has been some chatter during this election cycle about women in the workplace.  Can a woman have it all and still be available and connected to her family and children in a meaningful manner?  Should any woman have that expectation in the first place?  Is work just another "choice" that women make in this country?  

No matter where you fall politically, I think any reasonable person would hope (notice I did not say expect) that a manager or employer would make reasonable accommodation for a pregnant woman on the job.  As the following article notes, women make up half the workforce in America.  For some, if not most, families a pregnant woman must work for as long as possible because her paycheck is needed.  Whatever happened to common sense in the workplace?  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/workplace-pregnancy-bill-opposition_n_1914062.html 

Follow Up to the Last Post

Okay for those of you who are trying to ease out of your helicopter parenting role but still want to feel empowered.  Here is a good link:  http://www.ivillage.com/how-help-your-kid-make-friends/6-b-369713?nlcid=tk|09-20-2012|#369717

To the Mom Who Can’t Stop Following Her Child Around the Playground

One of my fellow moms posted this on her Facebook page and I had to share.  Are you a helicopter parent?  I'm of the mindset that you have to let a kid be a kid (even if it makes you uncomfortable).  A lot of the worries we have for our children are more about ourselves and our own insecurities.  Have a shy child?  Better to let them figure out a way to engage that's comfortable for them.  Hurt feelings, scraped knees, crying (or in this post--sand in the hair) are all about developing problem-solving and coping skills.  I cringe to think about how this particular mom is going to act once her little girl starts school!

Find the post here:  http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/to-the-mom-who-cant-stop-following-her-child-around-the-playground/?smid=pl-share

What do YOU think?

Ah the joys of shopping.  I have a full fledged teen and a tween (who is very tall and looks older than she actually is) and any kind of shopping is challenging, but clothes shopping has got to be the most challenging.  But out of all the things we shop for bathing suit shopping is the WORST!  May parents would have NEVER in a million years let me wear a bikini no matter how old and there were always some form of one piece that covered the essentials and yet were flattering to the figure.  Nowadays, you go to find a bathing suit for your kids and you are deluged with every variety of bikini and the one piece options are in two categories, so many cutouts that they may as well be wearing a bikini and senior citizen.  There is no way you're gonna get a teenager in what amounts to a tube of rayon-cotton mix with holes for arms and legs.  So let the pouting and crying begin.  I try to impart in my girls that you do not have to be half naked to be stylish (no matter that all the bathing suits around me contradict that edict) and that your bathing suit should be practical as well.  

When my youngest was little (around 5 or 6) I noticed that there were a lot more bikini's out for girls her age and younger.  They basically looked liked smaller versions of the adult bathing suits, not the cutesy little two pieces that still let a kid look like a kid.  I gotta say it was extremely off-putting.  Now another celebrity has lent her name and design prowess (said in a snarky tone) to a collection of bathing suits for young girls.  My issue is not that they are bikinis but that they are cut like adult bikinis.  What do you think?  Check it out here:  Hurley Bikini Line

Hello!

Thanks for visiting Houston Au Pair Mom.  As my profile states, I'm a Sales Representative for Cultural Care Au Pair.  I have created this blog not only to provide additional information on hosting an au pair with Cultural Care, but also as a forum for moms and dads to share their successes, vent their frustrations and share funny stories about  raising a family.  Over the next few weeks I will be adding additional resources that I personally have found useful as a mom and if you have any websites, books or any other types of resources you have found useful feel free to share them here.  I will also be providing the latest information on available au pairs, program updates and of course any promotions that are available via Cultural Care.  In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about hosting an au pair click the "Request Info" link and I'll be more than happy to answer your questions or concerns.  Thanks again, and happy sharing!

Nicole Workman