What's the number one problem for parents? Trying to make a phone call. When a parent picks up a phone, children everywhere see this as a signal to point out that they are horribly neglected. The only way to remedy this ongoing neglect is to scream, yell, climb on the furniture, or get into a fight with the nearest sibling. Naturally, the more important the person on the other end of the phone, the louder the screams must be.

How does the freelancer conduct interviews when kids are around? Bribery works, but only with older kids; little ones do not understand the quid-pro-quo involved.

My secret is to take advantage of the time difference and cultivate sources in far-off lands. I can call Europe in the wee hours of the morning here, call Asia in the evening, and never pick up the phone during the day. As a bonus, I've had several editors give me assignments because they know I can find overseas sources.

One way to find these people is to use the international versions of Yahoo. Searches starting on those sites will pull up sources in those countries faster.