madeliene

[christina81]

is it just me being an over protective parent or is it absoloutly crazey to leave 2 2year olds and a 3 year old home alone in a foreign country.I feel really sorry for madeleines parents don't get me wrong but i can't help but think they have been foolish.Yet they still don't seem to they have.Infact they seem to be angry at us for thinking such things.And i don't understand why who ever took this child would have left 2 behind?

[joko]

this question has already been asked quite a few times now, check b&s and P&P or use the search option below, to join in some discussions

[cruella]

I agree with everything you have just posted christina81. My thoughts exactly the same as yours

[stokeace]

hand on heart any parent who has not left their child in a situation where they thought they were safe and in retrospect they were not?

[christina81]

i have never lft my children on their own.Anything could happen.Besides i always thought it was against the law to leave a child home alone.Espcially in a foreign country.I really don't get this countries laws.I mean how can it be legal to leave a child of three home alone yet if she was left with a child minder under sixteen it would be against the law?

[simont]

I have five children. I can think of many times that someone could have pinched them. Here's some examples.

Right now my children are upstairs in bed whilst my wife and I are downstairs in the lounge. We have a large house and if they cry, often we don't hear them for some time. Generally one of my older kids would eventually wake and come down to tell us. Anyone could put a ladder up against their bedroom window, cut the glass with a circular glass cutter (both glazings) and then remove them from their bed. It could be an hour before we went up to check them.

Another example, I am in the kitchen with my wife, one of my older kids opened the front door to play on his bike outside in our "safe" culdesac. If someone wanted to kidnap him they probably could.

My friends eldest daughter is 14 and walks to the school bus, anyone could abduct her if they really had ther mind set on it.

Last weekend the weather was hot and we sat in the garden after putting my youngest kids to bed. Again someone could easily have abducted them durng this time.

Christina, do you ever leave your eyes off your child? Even for a few seconds? If your answers is "No" then I don't believe you as eventually you must sleep. If your answer is "Yes" then you are just as guilty as all of us other normal parents who weigh up the risks of sittiing downstairs or going outside whilst your children are asleep in bed and decide if the risk is worth it. You take a risk the moment your child is born. Hopefully though as child abductions are so very rare the risk of them being taken is so comfortingly low.

Madeleines parents have only one thing on their mind at the moment - to get their daughter back. They don't have time to address half of this nations ridiculous high-horseness about whether they were right or wrong to do so. The fact is it happened, they regret now ever taking their

[simont]

Christina, if someone took your child right now whilst you were busy posting questions on websites about the rights/wrongs of other parents, I am sure you always would regret spending time on this website instead sitting at their bedside watching them incase they were abducted - I know I would!

[ruby27]

simont
what an incredibly well reasoned and thought out response. However not one that will be popular with many AB respondents who are claiming they never allow thier children out of sight although do not give any rational explanation for how they manage this. If some of them get sent of your measured and mature parenting they will be baying for you blood.

[christina81]

i am not saying that i never let my children out of sight.I am saying I would not leave my children in a foreign country home alone for two hours.Its irresponsable.Leaving a child for two hours unsupervised is a bit different from going in the kitchen to make a coffee isn't it?
Ofcourse we all want madaliene found but she would never have been taken if someone was there would she?

[christina81]

simont of course i would.But given the fact that i can see them right in front of me.Its almost impossible

[stokeace]

exactly in retrospect your children were not safe simont that is my point christina81 we MIGHT think are kids are safe but you just never know as sadly this is the case with the poor mcann family.

[NJOK]

Not sure why you think a foreign country is any more dangerous than here?

They were in Portugal, not Iraq.

[kwicky]

With a �1 million pounds for the child's recovery surely just a matter of time till they find her? You would shop your best friend for this amount!

[stokeace]

yes kwiky i agree its a shame when money will make someone do the right thing and not for it to be a decent moral descision dont you think?

[christina81]

njok i know they were not in a dangerous country.The reason i think its worse leaving them alone in a foreign country is because everything is unfamiliar to them!

[curiosity]

Christina I agree, I also agree simon, but I think the unfamiliar territory would have swayed me your way. I also have worked with paedophiles and unfortunately anywhere us parents think are safe family friendly environments, like the swimming lessons or other activites, the park, fishing, or holiday camps are actually exactly the places these people will prey upon.

[Neilzulu1]

I have five children and think the same as you. BUT i am sure her parents will have plenty of their own demons to face when the inevitable terrible news comes along. Please leave this alone as i am sure they are haunted enough as it is .

[christina81]

nielzulu1 your exactly right.But instesd of defending their reasons for leaving the children they should admit it was a huge mistake as it obviously was.They will have to live with this their whole life.I wish them all the luck in the world.Lets face they are going to need it.

[smiffy65]

christina81, you say you would never leave your child alone for more than two hours, do your children sleep in seperate bedrooms?, you must sleep for more than 6 hours a night, are they not on there own then or do you sit up and watch over them all night. please please do not judge this poor family , what is right what is wrong, only god knows, I am still thinking positive that Maddie will be returned safe and well

[Neilzulu1]

Look, arguing over this will NOT bring this little angel home. Lets channel all our positive thoughts together and show support for her parents. Yes they may have been wrong, but for Gods sake lets not turn AB into a kangaroo court and comment on her parents. I feel for them even if they did make a mistake. But God knows, what an awful price they may have to pay for THAT mistake. Please Maddie, come home asap.

[vicars]

There is a side issue here of forgiveness when someone does something that cames back to hurt them - it is very important how everyone around them behaves as well. what I mean by this is that probably most parents would stay with their children and so when something like this happens it is very easy to accuse them of neglect. It is important I think to offer our whole support for their distress as that is the only thing that they really need right now - not our criticism. Nobody leads a blameless life and this was not their fault that their child was taken - by forcibly entering the room. This could have hppened at night and has happened to some. As soon as we start to put blame onto then parents we offer the people who do this type of thing some justification for their actions. I hope you see my point - it was terrible and enough can sometimes never be done to protect our children but lets not say that the parents were at all wrong or bad parents because of somebody elses actions.