the worst?

[English Kate]

Aww Jeez Kate, that really has to be the pits - made me feel sick just reading it!

The worst for me would be an interruption from a child that you hadnt been aware of being in the house/flat. It hasnt happened to me when seeing a working girl but it did happen once with a girlfriend - I just couldnt make myself small enough.

I had this happen in Edinburgh last year. I had done my usual careful research, but this was time I failed spectacularly.

I arrived at the house and was let into the house and led upstairs to a cramped and untidy bedroom, in near darkness, presumably to hide the worst of the untidiness. However I was slightly alarmed when I noticed the girl lock the bedroom door. It didn't take long to discover why - within about five minutes I heard the sound of a child crying out "Mummy, Mummy", rattling the door handle and banging on the door.

The girl assured me that her friend would take him away downstairs, but he kept coming back, and I could hear him crying. The girl told me that he was autistic.

I have to say this is one occasion when I couldn't get out of there fast enough and left well before my time was up! The girl horrifyingly didn't seem to see what was wrong, or why I might not be overly keen to stay longer than absolutely necessary.

I wouldn't even have a date back to the house when my son was young, let alone have a total stranger in the house. Risking my own life is one thing, but that of a child?

I would find that rather off putting too, a bit of a passion killer, which is partly why so many parents to young children don't have a sex life.

Children should not be anywhere near a booking.