Au Pair of the Year Nominee:

Naly - Colombia

When everything in our family is swirling like a tornado, Naly is there, calm, ready, and competent, our refuge from the storm. When our eight-year old son Julius was diagnosed with a form of dyslexia, Naly was there, ready to help with the special memory and reading tasks assigned by his speech therapist. When Julius had to change schools in the middle of Naly's first year with us, she learned the routine immediately, the new driving route, the teachers' names, found ways to make the homework fun (even the English homework, though English is not Naly's first language). She takes advantage of every moment: even driving back and forth with Julius from school, when she makes it fun for him to practice his Spanish. Every challenge, every illness, every disruption: Naly is there, smiling, with smart suggestions, enthusiasm, warmth and humor. Even when the dog got sprayed by a skunk (a situation certainly beyond the range of normal au pair responsibility) Naly was ready to help. My wife is a cancer doctor; I am finishing a complex five-year writing project: without Naly's help over the last year neither of us would have had the peace of mind, or the time, to do our jobs responsibly. Naly has helped us transform our small family from a loving whirlwind of little crises and interruptions to an oasis.

What most astonishes my wife and I about Naly is her combination of keen intelligence and good judgment, warmth and caring. Every day, it seems, she goes out of her way to make things easier and better for all of us. She has an almost instinctual feel for our son's moods and joys, his strengths and weaknesses. I wish I could recount some single dramatic event to illustrate her remarkable skills ? but in family life it is the small, everyday things that really count.

On top of her superb support for our family she manages to excel in her college classes, keeps the car she uses spotless, shows kindness and respect to everyone, smiles even if she feels tired or unwell, and never complains. But it is her connection to our son that has moved us, inspired us.