I had just moved to a New York City suburb with my wife and the first two of our three children some years ago when a mildly panicked neighbor engaged me with her sudden child-care problem. Her nanny had quit without notice, and she was hitting me up for suggestions. "Have you considered an au pair?" I asked. Her response left me thunderstruck: "Never again. All they do is crack up your car, get homesick and leave."
Those were tough words to absorb. Only weeks earlier, our first au pair had arrived from Switzerland. We spent one restless night wondering, Who...
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