We have hired a nice Au Pair from Italy for the month of August to help out with some childcare so I can get some work done over the holidays.
It's worked out ok - with me putting in a lot of effort to settle her, take her places etc. as we live in a rural spot and she can't drive as insurance astronomical. It is not an area where there are many other Au Pairs.Most people rely on various forms of childcare though.
Anyway, some people have been positive, but some of the people I thought were 'friends' have avoided me since she arrived. They've left me out of group activities, And when I have seen them, have given me odd looks, or made comments like:
"Having an au pair is lazy"
"Well you're working at home so you are managing to fit things around the kids" (yeah right, with an 11 mo and a 4 yo).
I can't believe this inverse snobbery. We are not at all rich, but for 1 month this seemed like a good solution and it has been. Why are some 'friends' acting so 'arsey'??
AIBU?
Negative reaction from 'friends' regarding having an Au Pair
midlifehope · 21/08/2016 10:02
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Here's my best guess,
The others don't want the company of a teen hence not calling for meet ups.
Given you now have help you can't join in the mommy martyr chit chat the others share.
You'll have to get new friends 
Did they actually say those things 
. How rude!
They don't sound very nice.
OP I don't know why (maybe jealousy as pp have suggested) but similar happened to me. DH works Long hours and I'm (now very heavily) pregnant. My my family not local (and if I'm honest not responsible enough) for baby sitting, DH parents v heavily involved in looking after their other GC there was no one around even for occasional babysitting. At absolute breaking point after 20 weeks of morning sickness and zero support from anyone, I started sending DS to a CM 10 hours a week. More hours than I wanted him to do but that was the minimum that fit with the CM and the hourly rate that suited Ys etc...ever since, family (inc SIL whose kids are looked after almost full time by PILs) and friends have stopped talking to me and had several barbed comments such as 'well your house should be spotless, you're a sahm and you send your child to a CM. What do you do all day?' You're doing what's best for your family, ignore them 
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