It appears, then, that my son and his wife are not alone in having problematic au pairs - they've had seven in five years. It breaks my heart that the children being passed from pillar to post at the whim of these au pairs. I had a row with the last one when I was visiting - she had been there two weeks, had done virtually nothing on the day in question because I was with the children. She spent most of the day on her mobile, and then could not be bothered to cook a proper meal for the children - it was too much and I had to say something. I warned my son that she was there to suit herself and not to look after the children but he was extremely cross with me and bawled me out in front of the children - but a few months later the girl left one of the children alone when he was poorly for several hours while she went to the gym. A visitor came to the house, alerted the police and the au pair was charged with child abandonment!
How I wish I lived near enough to protect my darlings from this upheaval.