2017 Au Pair of the Year Runner-Up

Eliot Weidisch from Belgium

I, in particular, was a little unsure about matching with a male Au Pair. We have two sons and so I wondered whether adding another male to the mix of our busy household was a sensible idea. Would I forever have to be tidying up? Re-reminding him about things? Would he be a good communicator? We have all heard about 'typical' males in the 18 plus age group - theycanbe a nightmare! We were looking for someone who was multi-faceted and could happily look after our two very different sons and bring out the best in them, someone who could let our kids express themselves and who wasn't judgmental. I was worried about whether this would be possible with a male Au Pair, and then I realised I was the one being judgemental!

So, you can imagine that we have been nothing short of delighted about how things have turned out with Eliot. From the moment we met him (he was already travelling in New Zealand), we were impressed by his calm nature and mature outlook. But when he started looking after our sons we realised just how lucky we have been to have had him as part of our family.

Eliot joined us at a tough time. I had to go back unexpectedly to the UK to see a terminally ill friend. My husband had just started a new job. It's fair to say he was thrown in at the deep end and many people would have floundered. But not Eliot. He got on with daily life, stepped up to the plate and rose to the challenge. We have had some great Au Pairs before, but we knew we had found someone truly special because the house was running smoothly and the kids were happy. When we thanked Eliot for his help at this time he was surprised, because to him that's how it should be, it wasn't a big deal. But we know that things could have been very different and it is because of Eliot that we got through that period with minimal disruption for the kids.

Our boys are great buddies but have very different characters with different interests. Eliot has worked hard with both of them to build strong relationships and is open minded, treats them equally, and with respect. He is as happy making origami animals as he is playing basketball, and enjoys baking as much as he does Lego. The special thing about this though is that he is always conscious that he should treat the boys equally, encouraging them both in their interests. On the flipside, he is not worried about getting his hands dirty either and has helped with every aspect of childcare for the boys - including the not so nice tasks, such as dealing with head lice!

In particular, Eliot has also supported our younger son with his transition to school taking him to his school visits, talking to him when he feels nervous and generally being a constant for him as he navigates this tricky time. When our son finished preschool one of the teachers commented on Eliot's kind heartedness and what a special bond he has with our son. He has been the awesome big brother/ favourite cousin and has a very special place in their hearts.

So other than for the reasons above, why do we want to nominate Eliot for Au Pair of the Year? Firstly, we have never met a person of Eliot's age with such an amazing work ethic, combined with a genuine love for children. He is calm and always even tempered, kind and gentle. His parents should be proud to have raised such a polite, easy going and open minded son who is so generous with his time. It is clear to us that he isn't aware that it is his personality and commitment that have a positive effect on the outcome of situations. Secondly, he has taken some very tricky situations in the last six months and greatly improved the outcome. Thirdly, when I asked our sons why they are going to miss Eliot, the responses were, 'He is very funny and kind' and, 'I am sad that Eliot has to go home. I love him.' We, and especially the boys, will miss Eliot dearly. I know that whatever Eliot does next in life he will make the best of it!