Mathilda, an au pair from Sweden, had big shoes to fill as the sixth au pair of her American host family. Her charges are 9-year-old twins Joshua and Sydney, who has special needs. As her family explained,

“we are a hard family to dazzle, yet she has blown us away. Mathilda is intelligent, kind, caring, thoughtful and calm under pressure. In short, she is an incredible Au Pair.”

Winning over the hearts of every family member, Mathilda has become an irreplaceable part of her new American clan. With Sydney’s medical challenges, Mathilda rose to the occassion and became her new sister’s biggest champion, from managing Sydney’s restrictive diet with fun new recipes to assisting her with physical thereapy by inventing “games” that would help Sydney exercise her left side. With Sydney’s brother Josh, Mathilda always ensures he gets the attention he needs; she spends time playing games with him and spurring on his curiosity.

Mathilda has also become a fantastic family member to her host parents (and grandparents), as well as the family dog Leo (who adores her!). Mathilda is warm and engaging and likes to meet new people and participate in all the fun cultural activities in the household – from intense domino games, to celebrating Thanksgiving, to learning about the Jewish customs of her family.

Overall, the au pair experience has been an amazing opportuty for both Mathilda and her family to learn about each other’s cultures, make connections on an extremely personal level, and experience the best of the Au Pair in America program. The family’s next au pair will surely have even larger shoes to fill!