I agree. If he did all that he could, trying to find him and running after him, then why would he feel guilty? I guess we could probably pick apart many statements made in these cases, some would be accurately picked apart, but once in awhile, the person is truly genuine and the child or missing adult is found ok. I won't lie, I am beyond hope that Maddox is still alive- I want to believe he is and is just waiting to be found, but I just don't feel it in my heart that he is.
Because as a parent you feel guilty for everything.
A wind gust blew my son off of a play structure and for MONTHS I felt guilty for not taking him to a less windy park.
My daughter cut off her finger with an unopened soup can when she was 6. For months I felt guilty for letting her carry her own can of soup.
My other daughter ran into the car door and got a concussion when she was 6. For months I felt guilty for letting her walk instead of carrying her.
Parents feel guilty because it's our job to protect our children.
The parents who DON'T express guilt are the ones that worry me.
MORE: FBI:
“we have worked with both parents and we believe what they are telling us is accurate.” #FindMaddox #WBTV
WBTV Ben Williamson on Twitter
I think THIS IS IMPORTANT.
The FBI says that THEY believe the parents.
If THEY believe them at this point, shouldn't we give them the same benefit?
Because the police have deemed it none of the public’s business and unimportant to the case. The focus is Maddox not nosy people ripping her life apart and coming up with the sort of false narratives that make for good social media fodder but hold no actual value in terms of finding Maddox.
Absolutely, there is zero reason for her name to come into it. The FBI doesn't suspect the parents at this point, why would they suspect Dad's new girlfriend? They are very clearly trying to keep the focus on the SEARCH for MADDOX. They are not releasing things that will only result in rumors.
Dad maybe forgot to add that... or he didn't think it was relevant ?
Except that if you're unable to run-- the last place you want to take your energetic child is a park.
Kids love to run !
BBM
If Maddox dad knew he liked to run and hide, why take him to a park/open area where it would be difficult to keep up with him ?
Even if it hurts-- if your child runs off-- you don't think about it-- you just RUN and forget your discomfort.
Although maybe the friend was supposed to help watch Maddox and catch up with him if he ran out of sight ?
Trying to understand this in the light of new revelations.
Neuropathy is not just painful. It is also NUMBNESS. You ever tried running when your foot is asleep? Could you just "run through that" to chase someone? It just doesn't work that way unfortunately.
Reporter " I understand you might have trouble running?"
Dad " a, a, a little bit, I have diabetes and I have neuropathy in my feet so that causes a problem".
(it is only my opinion that he down played this problem)
He strikes me as not the type to want to talk about his health issues, but realized he had to explain why he couldn't catch up to Maddox. Especially after being bluntly asked why he, a grown man couldn't catch a 6 year old. Because every grown man is perfectly healthy and capable of doing that?
Lots of people wanting to blame the dad. As the parent of a daughter with autism, I have a few thoughts. First, when we find something she likes and enjoys (which there are few things), we love to allow her time to engage in that activity. Second, in our mind, she is simply our daughter. We are not thinking of her disability every minute of every day. In fact, when she is in her element and engaged in a favorite activity, it’s easy to zone out, let the defenses down a little and just enjoy the “normalcy”. Third, special needs parents are like other parents. We enjoy spur of the moment activities and don’t always check things out before going. From what I’ve read, Maddox loved running. I’m sure dad has taken him to many parks and let him run numerous times. Nothing bad happened before, I’m sure dad was not thinking something bad would happen now.
We are ALL guilty of being lured into a false sense of security. Mollie Tibbetts went running - like she always did. Shannan Watts went home to her husband, perhaps argued with him; like I’m sure she did numerous times before. Accidents happen. Bad things happen. Whether it’s an adult, child, parent or parent of a special needs child, sometimes things just go wrong.
I pray they find Maddox safe and sound.
Yes. Yes. YES. This.
Just because your child has special needs doesn't mean that is all you ever think about.
Yes, you take precautions. Yes, you are careful. But if Maddox was having a good day, behaving, not having meltdowns, it's easy to let your guard down!
It's easy to just enjoy your little boy, playing at the park and HAPPY! Without all of the reminders that he's different from other little boys. It's easy to forget that you can't get complacent. It happens to everyone. Nobody is perfect!