I've been out of town since Thursday in our nation's capital but just saw this (OK, my boss forwarded it to me).

Don't know if you remember the case of the nanny in Cary who was caught handling twin boys roughly in February. Stephanie Merrill was babysitting the two infants when a video camera set up caught her mishandling them. She was convicted of child abuse last week, but pleaded guilty under an Alford agreement, which means she didn't admit guilt but acknowledges there was enough evidence to convict her.

She'll have to perform 30 hours of community service and attend an eight-month-long class on caring for children. She also can't care for children in the immediate future.

When I was pregnant, we thought briefly about hiring a nanny, but didn't for just this reason. I know the vast majority are wonderful, but we felt more comfortable sending my daughter to day care where there are many eyes on her at the same time.

Do you have a nanny? Have you considered it? And would you set up a video camera for to spy on your nanny or babysitter?