As a mother to three children, this is what I don't get:
My singular mission would be to find my child. Put all pride aside. HELP ME find my child.
If there is a camera within 50 miles wanting to hear me proclaim it even louder, I am going to be in front of it.
If the police hold a press conference and say that I have stopped cooperating with them, it would only increase my desire tenfold to get in front of every camera, to ANYONE who will listen, PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY CHILD.
I can understand being exhausted to the bone, sleep-deprived, etc, but I am not going to slip out of a hotel to avoid a camera which I know will broadcast my plea on television and further put the word out about my missing child.
I am not going to refuse local interviews and "only go national". WTH?!
My singular goal would be to get my child's face on as many TV screens, billboards, flyers, etc. as I can, and keep my child as relevant as I can in the minds of everyone I can reach. The more you recognize and remember what my baby looks like, the better the chance that they may be found.
I am willing to give the parents the benefit, for now. But if they start shrinking away from the limelight, denying further interviews, and avoiding the very agencies who are trying to find out what happened to their baby, I am going to feel much less supportive.
I also admit that I am jaded by the "Susan Smith" cry. Every time I see something like this, when they make those first pleads to the media and the disappearance is fresh, I look at the mother and look for tears on the cheeks, snot, the "ugly cry" face, etc. Sometimes the eyes squint up and the face contorts in a manner that, if that were me crying and making that face, the waterworks would be running down my cheeks, falling off my chin, my nose would start running, etc. When I see that face, even if the eyes appear to mist up, I always look to see if the cheeks are dry.
MOO, of course.