@meganreep: Let’s talk about what it actually means to be a host family. #foreignexchangestudent #ayusa #foreignexchange #hostfamily

ashe.mp4 :

Honestly, the Brittani hate is NOT it. The people who don’t host just don’t get it.

TracerOO :

the people that are judging that video have never been a host family and they don't understand how it works. Great explanations.

❤️‍🔥🥀Kaylee Siber❤️‍🔥🥀 :

And if you’re going to host them you should take them where they need to go. Providing just the bare minimum is diabolical

Rachelle Durrant - Host Mom :

Very well said!

Libby :

my heart has been breaking for her. I've hosted a number of students, including as an emergency backup placement for a student who was too difficult to host for another family. I had a double placement once, where Student A was an ideal kid and followed the guidelines and procedures. Student B was demanding and had unrealistic expectations, while also not doing the things he needed to do. You cannot understand how difficult some of these kids can be to host until you have done it. I know exactly what she was saying, and any experienced host parent understood, agreed and supported her !

Lizella :

It’s fine to communicate limits for example last-minute plans might not always be a yes, not every desire to go somewhere is going to be able to happen. however, host families are expected to facilitate transportation or help students link up with transportation so they can participate in extracurricular and social activities and do more than just go to their house or only where the host family goes. It is hard enough for students to feel comfortable asking for a ride. Her messaging is quite damaging to building their trust that that is part of the host families’ responsibility. And many participation agreements. It’s also part of that contract..

MeetTheReeps :

I meant to say J1 visa. Not F1!

Ashley Marie Fields :

He asked her to go to the game with him. If you don't wanna spend time with them don't host plain and simple. He wanted to go do something with her and she said no. Personally after that id never ask her for a anything again and just try to make it through the year as best I could.

amillennialnamedkatie :

thissss. I had one who thought she should be able to text me to pick her up and I should drop what I'm doing and go get her 🤦‍♀️. she even expected me to LEAVE WORK and pick her up after sports practice was over instead of waiting at the school with the other kids who had working parents and needed to wait to be picked up.

Exchange Students USA :

Very well said.. some people just don’t know.

savage4 :

she’s getting bashed & i feel so bad. 🥺most students expect a mini vacation so i think her video was valid — i tell our kiddo we’re hosting to find a ride sometimes if she wants to go somewhere because sometimes life & that’s the same with our kiddos as well, we’re treating her just like our blood children. 🥰

Nygirlinaz16 :

I thought she was saying yes your host family will drive you places if they’re able to. But you’re part of a family and sometimes it’s not possible due to other things. Communicate and ask if someone can drive you. The same way their other kids living in the house would likely do if they needed a ride somewhere.

j.ann 💞 :

Well said! I'm a 4x host family and yes I think many students come here with very unrealistic expectations. It's not a 10 month vacation. They are here to learn our culture, improve English, blend with their HF, make friends. It's not about going on huge vacations multiple times, going to major events (sports, concerts, etc), or extravagant homes. Most host families are middle income. They can provide your needs and a couple of extras but they cannot give you everything your heart desires. The best memories aren't the big vacations, it's the inside jokes, standing in the kitchen laughing with music playing on the speaker, watching weird movies that are so bad you can't look away & discussing it later. It's the smiles received for small gestures. Those are the things that matter.

Lu 🇨🇿/🇺🇸 :

I had no idea we are hating on her like be so serious, even me as an ex exchange student I agreed with her, if I need a ride I ask, if they say they probably can’t I said yeah okay I’ll try to find someone else who can give me a ride, easy it’s all about communication. I am sure brittani ment to say to not expect es to say “i need a ride” and their hf drops everything just to give them a ride, like no, she said that yeah they will give u a ride but don’t expect it always, they have lives too

lailah :

I love this! As an exchange student this is so true 💗 host families are a support system. Host families are all amazing people who open their homes to a random stranger, I am so grateful for host families!! It is very realistic that host families are not your tour guide. A exchange year is life in a different place. So, this video is so great and so real 💗

MinneHosts :

Thank you for sharing this. Fellow first time host mom here. Most of the videos I saw dragging her were very specific clips that were cut to make her look bad and out of context. And the comments were clearly from those who don’t know how exchange really works.

Courtney :

It was the way she said it in my opinion. I don’t think what she said was what she meant.

Jami - Mom & Host Mom :

This is very well said. I love that you're new to hosting and you already get it.

lola🌈🐮💞🌼 :

massagelady74 :

great job! thank you for going to her defense, she is an amazing exchange mom. we hosted for our very first time this last school year and I followed her before we got our exchange girl and she had such amazing advice and always was willing to reach out and answer any questions I had besides the amazing rep we also have. it definitely comes down to kids coming over with high expectations and not realizing that coming to us means that we have the means to take care of all those things. even if we wanted to with all of our heart. I was very blessed that we had a girl from Thailand who was humble and grateful for the experience she had. lots of barriers we had to get through though but glad we had the experience

Irene 🖤 :

I want to host, but I get scared because of these crazy expectations some students have. You are so right though! [Red heart]

November :

No one got spoiled more than my exchange babies but no one got told hell to the no more than my babies. Both of them would tell ANYOME that.

mattz :

host family. second student. we make it very plain upfront that you are family and the exchange student is part of the family. you will have chores and there will be boundaries. We tell the exchange kid you have to plan. we will treat you like our children but your (and our kids) lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on our part. we send a super detailed list of house rules upfront when we first make contact

thehostedhome :

Period. Kids get told no sometimes for things and that’s okay. Like you’re here for 10 months and you’re my child and I’m going to do my best to do the same things for my “kid” as I do for my biological child.

Heather peduto :

Thank you for this video. Well said