>>>why/how are children being entered wo/ parents?
>>
>>Sorry...perhaps I misstated. The child file doesn't have a corresponding record to the parent.
>
>What I think you are seeing then is the behaviour at EOF() where there is a phantom empty read-only record that blanks all your controls and makes then read-only.
>
>If the child is the target of a SET RELATION from the parent, then when the parent field has a value that has no corresponding chile Index value - the child table is left at EOF() automatically.
>
>
>I don't understand why you're having problems, but I think that's what is giving the phantom record.

That's exactly what's happening, with a twist. That phantom record is VERY 'real' to VFP, even going so far as to change the number of records in the file (discovered this through MUCH banging of the head against a brick wall). The problem is occuring when more than one user tries to access this phantom record.