Most of the nine families live in California, the repository's home state. One is in the East, another in the Midwest. All the families are middle or upper-middle class, though a few parents were working class when they went to the repository. There is a strange occupational skew. Of the eight parents who told me their profession, six work in health or counseling. The other two work in academia and insurance.

Do they seem smart? Yes, generally. A couple are quite brilliant, and almost all are very quick and cogent. Most also seem socially well adjusted.

In all but one case, I communicated only with the mother. (I'll discuss why dads didn't call—and also why there is such an occupational bias—later in the piece.) Most of the nine parents agreed to in-person or telephone interviews, but two corresponded with me only by e-mail. Except for two mothers I tracked down through public records—Afton Blake and another—all the parents contacted me.