Nine months ago Iris, my wife of eight years, gave birth to our first child.

Once her maternity leave was over, we decided to hire a live-in nanny for the baby, as both of us have careers that require us to work long hours. Iris conducted a number of interviews before settling on Susan, a 22-year-old girl who had just graduated from college with a teaching degree. She had been unable to find a teaching job, but had previous experience being a nanny during her summer breaks from college, and when Iris checked her references, all her former employers raved about how good she was with their children.

Susan turned out to be an excellent nanny, and also to be a wonderful help around the house, making meals for Iris and me when we worked late and volunteering to stay home with the baby if we wanted to go out, even on... Read More