My in laws probably had the worst experience I've ever heard of (I've never had a bad one, since so far Alex has only ever stayed with his grandparents when we're gone). They planned to go out to dinner and to a movie. My husband was small, probably just under a year at the time. They let a neighbor girl watch him. By the time dinner was over they had both decided to skip the movie since they missed their little one so much. It was the first time they had ever left him. When they got home, my husband was in his high chair covered in food, with a huge red handprint across his face. The girl had also invited two boys over and they had broken the lock on my father in law's locked gun cabinet and were dry firing (meaning there was no bullets in them but they were shooting them anyway) his rifles back in the bedroom. My mother in law said she thought her husband was going to kill them all. In any case, they never left him with anyone except relatives after that experience. Personally, if I ever found Alex in that condition, regardless of the added danger of the guns, I would probably go to jail, because I'd be returning the favor of the nice big handprint across the girl's face myself.

__________________
Tigriz
Mom to Alex - 1/21/06