A harried dad blows into a down- town toy store with two kids in tow. After mumbling something about coming right back, he disappears, leaving his youngsters—ages 4 and 6— planted at some computer game. Forty-five minutes pass and still no dad. The proprietor sweats. When the father finally reappears, everyone's happy—except for the store owner who got stuck baby-sitting for little thanks and no sale. The production pitch for "Home Alone Ⅲ"? Nah. Try real life. In the fast-forward rush of late-20th-century American parentdom, the latest craze of kid-crazed mommies and daddies is stealth baby-sitting. It's the increasingly shady practice of parents — often professional and suburban—to park junior in local multimedia and toy stores while they run off on errands.
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