Forums / Editor's Notes / CELEBRITIES MAKE BABIES
AND HAVE FAMILIES, TOO.

CELEBRITIES MAKE BABIES
AND HAVE FAMILIES, TOO.

This family issue of Celeb Staff features a big thing going on in Hollywood right now: having babies. It seems like every time you turn around another celebrity is expecting or has just had a baby. Babies are really “in.” Some of these moms have been trying to have a child for a while and some are just adding to their brood. But one thing is for sure: a new baby will certainly change family dynamics. Just think about the changes Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie go through every.

It is never too early to teach children about responsibility, even if they are growing in wealthy homes. Justin Womack highlights the fact that any age is a good one to start tackling chores in “Let There Be Chores."

Forums / Ask Pauline / Under the Influence and Overbooked

Pauline sets the stories straight

Dear Pauline:

Q: I own a household-staffing agency based in the Midwest. Since a few of our clients are on the West Coast, we fly to Los Angeles periodically to interview candidates to add to our roster. I have met some of these candidates myself. They look very professional and have wonderful references, yet when we have asked them to undergo drug testing as required by some of our clients, many of them have tested positive for marijuana. We get very few candidates locally that test positive for drugs, even though I must admit that many of our local clients do not require drug testing. I am wondering if other agencies have had similar problems in regards to candidates living on the West Coast.

A: Drug use has become widespread and is a problem that we as a society have to deal with at all levels. We contacted agencies in other parts of the United States, England, Australia, Germany and a few other countries, and they are all seeing a surge in drug use among their candidates. It is therefore not a West Coast problem alone but a world issue. I would highly recommend all agencies make it mandatory for all candidates to be tested for drugs just before they are placed on a job. It is the best way to protect your client and your reputation as an agency.....

Staff / Staffing the Mansion / The Evolution of Domestic Staff

The Evolution of Domestic Staff

Household help commands higher pay, more respect

At one time, domestic employment was considered the worst type of job in America, akin to slavery. But that has changed. Now a typical domestic can, and often does, have a good education, a generous salary and respect around the home.

Starting in the late '80s, the concept of servants changed as the baby-boomer generation entered adult- and parenthood. With the radical lifestyle (hippie) evolution of the '60s and the emphasis on equality, the new-age woman found it hard to have an old-fashioned "servant" or "maid" in her home. People so committed to equality found it uncomfortable to have someone call them "sir" or "ma'am...."