He’s just turned 2, so Luca Duguet isn’t talking much yet.
But when he does start chatting, “Bonjour” and “Ola” will likely come just as easily as “Hello.”
“Hello” is a word he’ll probably learn from his mom, Dr. Lindsey Duguet, who grew up in Berks County.
“Bonjour” will probably come courtesy of his dad, Michael Duguet, who is from France.
As for the Portuguese greeting, that probably will come from Larissa Leite, a 23-year-old au pair from Brazil whose stay with the Duguet family, of Dallas, has been arranged by AuPairCare of San Francisco.
The Duguets said they like the idea of exposing their two children — baby sister Alexandra joined Luca six months ago — to more than one culture and they like having an au pair live with their family.
“The hours are flexible. It’s not like a day care with hours of nine to five,” said Dr. Lindsey Duguet, an emergency medicine physician whose own hours aren’t nine to five, either.
Michael Duguet had been working as an mechanical engineer but stayed home with Luca as a full-time dad for the first year of his son’s life. Now he works from home for an on-line high-end men’s clothier.
For Leite, a typical day begins with preparing breakfast for Luca.
“We play a lot,” she said.
“And they go to story time at the library,” Dr. Lindsey Duguet added.
Sometimes, there’s even a totally new experience — such as the chance this past season to play in the fluffy, white stuff that doesn’t often accumulate near Leite’s hometown in Brazil.
“It was Luca and Larissa’s first time to enjoy snow,” Dr. Lindsey Duguet said with a smile. “They made snow angels. They ate snow.”
The Duguets are happy with their au pair arrangement and want to extend Leite’s stay for a second year when her first year is up this summer.
“We can tell she loves them,” Dr. Lindsey Duguet said of the relationship between the children and the au pair. “She’ll be walking around singing to them.”
AuPairCare can match families with an au pair from any country with which the United States has diplomatic ties. Their website contains a data base which a host family can search, looking for someone who speaks any of 16 languages from Afrikaans to Japanese to Swedish and someone who has experience with children younger than 2 versus older than 2.
Biographies on the website state an au pair’s level of experience with driving a car and with swimming and include in-their-own-words essays about how they like to spend time with children.
“I’d like to play outside with children on a sunny day. Then I make a box lunch and go to a park,” one young woman from Japan wrote. “I’d like to read books to children and to dance to music on a rainy day.
“I believe children should have as much fun as possible while they are young,” wrote a young woman from South Africa. “So my main point will be to do something which they will enjoy and brings them happiness. Which will include, parks, cinemas, playing games where they could learn something.”
The young people also listed some of their positive qualities.
“I’m trustworthy, diligent, responsible and kind,” one young woman from Thailand wrote. “I like kids and I treat them as my own child.”
“I love to learn new things,” wrote a young woman from Colombia. “I’m very willing to do it.”
“You can rely on me, 100 percent,” wrote a young man from Denmark.
“I’m also very responsible person,” one young woman from Poland wrote. “I don’t smoke and don’t have any other addictions. I even don’t have addiction to phone, what it’s very common nowadays.”
AuPairCare estimates the cost of hosting an au pair as $18,708 per year or $360 per week. For more information, see aupaircare.com or call local representative Bonnie Witkosky at 570-417-3418. Witkosky also arranges student exchange programs for students in high school.
