In November 2003, two employees and I did an inspection where the only people who would be at the inspection were the three of us and our Clients, a mom and dad with three young children, the oldest around 10.

After introductions, we went to do our job and occasionally saw mom and dad walking around discussing things and the three children behaving themselves and playing in the yard. About halfway through the inspection, one of my employees came to tell me that he had seen the parents drive off but the three kids were still there. I didn't believe him, but sure enough, three kids and no parents.

I asked the oldest child, Jason, where his parents were. He said that they had left to go Christmas shopping and had told them to stay there and play. San Diego is not some small rural community where everyone knows everyone! Mom and dad had just met us, spent 10 minutes with us, and then pronounced us worthy of babysitting their three young children while they went Christmas shopping!

When we had finished, mom and dad were not back yet, so we played with the kids, and you can see what the three of them did to me in Figure 1.

  Figure 1. Russel in the leaves.

When I delivered the reports to the Realtor's office (this was back in the stone age before I did email reports), there was an envelope waiting for me at the front desk. Inside was a $100 check and a real nice note thanking me for taking care of the children. That's all well and good, but my employees and I should never have been put in that situation. They are lucky that I didn't call the police for child abandonment!

Parents, your children are too precious to leave in the care of someone whom you know absolutely nothing about other than the fact that you're going to pay them $499 to do some work for you!