One more mouth to tip this holiday?

There's the housekeeper, the doorman, the parking attendants, the nanny. And now, the New York Times reports, some families are adding an in-home study-hall monitor. With a job description that falls somewhere between a babysitter's and a tutor's, the primary duty of these household helpers is to help the students FOCUS, making sure the television is off and the books are open.  "'If you can afford the luxury, it’s worth it," says one mother, who reported that her son’s grades and organizational skills improved--and that parent-child conflicts declined after she hired a homework-helper. (NY Times)