"Who would leave children that young alone?"

[Mischa]

Here's an article from today's Houston Chronicle that is rather eerie in similiarities: A mother was arrested for leaving a 4 year old and one year old twins alone in an apartment while she went out drinking.

One of the LE authorities said, "Who would leave children that young alone?"

Answer is obvious, of course, the McCanns.

And again, this just underscores that the McCanns escaped consequences because of their education and social status.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6058546.html

I think, til the day Madeleine vanished most parents in the western world were happily unaware that the possibility that the children might get scared after waking up and finding themselves alone is one of the minor dangers if you leave sleeping children alone at home even for only half an hour.

 

[Donjeta]

I don't think anyone who needed the Madeleine McCann case to figure out that it is not safe to leave toddlers alone should ever have been a parent. For one thing, house fires have been around about as long as houses and everybody who is able to parent should be able to realize that sleeping toddlers have about zero chances of rescuing themselves if they're home alone, or in a strange hotel room.

And the unlocked room thing... I recall quite a few hotel rooms I've been in equipped with warnings about safekeeping the valuables because of the possibility of theft. Leaving the room unlocked would surely not be advised in most resorts. But I suppose they may have taken their valuables with them and just left the kids.

 

[saggymoon]

They were advised by lawyers that their actions were well within the bounds of responsible parenting.

The Mccanns also said thousands and thousands of people wrote to them and said they had done or would do exactly the same.

 

[SapphireSteel]

They were advised by lawyers that their actions were well within the bounds of responsible parenting.

The Mccanns also said thousands and thousands of people wrote to them and said they had done or would do exactly the same.

Well that makes it ok then.

Except it wasn't ok....

I wonder if they left their travellers cheques and expensive cameras lying about too, or if those were put away somewhere safe?

 

[saggymoon]

No it was not ok, I just posted what their excuses were. They have never taken any responsibility for leaving the children in harms way. And it was the rest of the group as well, but at least they locked their doors. Quite unbelievable really when you think the oldest child in the group was 3 and two of them were sick.

 

[brit1981]

No it was not ok, I just posted what their excuses were. They have never taken any responsibility for leaving the children in harms way. And it was the rest of the group as well, but at least they locked their doors. Quite unbelievable really when you think the oldest child in the group was 3 and two of them were sick.

I agree that it was stupid of all of them, but I am not sure about the locked door thing. In all reality I would be more worried about fire, and if you lock the door then they would have been trapped. The obvious answer is to not leave them. But if you google listening service it seems a huge amount of resorts and hotels in Europe use a listening service. It seems stupid to me because half an hour is a long time, and a fire can start and spread within two minutes, but thousands do seem to use the service.
Even if the children could nto start a fire somehow, I would worry about a fire in the building generally and being seperated from them.

 

[saggymoon]

the onlyfact is no sane parent would leave their toddlers on their own fact

 

[brit1981]

the onlyfact is no sane parent would leave their toddlers on their own fact

Well thousands do, and I do not think they are all going to be bad parents nor do I think they will have mental health issues. Just as thousands of people let children six and older walk to and from school alone. That is far more dangerous in many ways. A child of, even, twelve is going to be no match against a grown man, and even if the walk is just ten minutes, by the time the parents get worried, call friends to as if they have seen the child, called the police, spoken to the police, the police have spoken to school friends potential witnesses any abductor will have had at least an hour to make an escape, and in some places could have crossed borders by then.

 

[BritsKate]

Well thousands do, and I do not think they are all going to be bad parents nor do I think they will have mental health issues. Just as thousands of people let children six and older walk to and from school alone. That is far more dangerous in many ways. A child of, even, twelve is going to be no match against a grown man, and even if the walk is just ten minutes, by the time the parents get worried, call friends to as if they have seen the child, called the police, spoken to the police, the police have spoken to school friends potential witnesses any abductor will have had at least an hour to make an escape, and in some places could have crossed borders by then.

The thousands of people who leave their toddlers to fend for themselves very often have those children removed from their care. It isn't acceptable or responsible parenting to leave a three year old on her own - with two infants - in a foreign clime for an extended length of time. Whether you believe the McCann's are complicit in the disappearance of their daughter or not irresponsible parenting was part and parcel of this case.

And I have to tell you the very first six year old I witness walking themselves to school I'll be on the phone with the authorities. Perhaps I just live in a really responsible part of Ol' Blighty but I know of no child younger than 12 who walks on their own - ever - and often they still walk with friends for secondary.

Incidentally I come from a big city (pop: 750k) in the States and 6 year olds didn't walk themselves to school there either in my experiences. JMO

 

[brit1981]

The thousands of people who leave their toddlers to fend for themselves very often have those children removed from their care. It isn't acceptable or responsible parenting to leave a three year old on her own - with two infants - in a foreign clime for an extended length of time. Whether you believe the McCann's are complicit in the disappearance of their daughter or not irresponsible parenting was part and parcel of this case.

And I have to tell you the very first six year old I witness walking themselves to school I'll be on the phone with the authorities. Perhaps I just live in a really responsible part of Ol' Blighty but I know of no child younger than 12 who walks on their own - ever - and often they still walk with friends for secondary.

Incidentally I come from a big city (pop: 750k) in the States and 6 year olds didn't walk themselves to school there either in my experiences. JMO

I have never heard of a parent who uses a listening service in a hotel having their child removed from them. Not once. If it was illegal the hotels would be in trouble for providing the service. It is irresponsibe, but the fact is that thousands of people use them, and it is perfectly legal. leaving a toddler and not checking on them at all is illegal, but being fifty metres away and checing on them every half an hour is perfectly legal.

 

[rpgman]

I have never heard of a parent who uses a listening service in a hotel having their child removed from them. Not once. If it was illegal the hotels would be in trouble for providing the service. It is irresponsibe, but the fact is that thousands of people use them, and it is perfectly legal. leaving a toddler and not checking on them at all is illegal, but being fifty metres away and checing on them every half an hour is perfectly legal.

It should be illegal

 

[SapphireSteel]

I have never heard of a parent who uses a listening service in a hotel having their child removed from them. Not once. If it was illegal the hotels would be in trouble for providing the service. It is irresponsibe, but the fact is that thousands of people use them, and it is perfectly legal. leaving a toddler and not checking on them at all is illegal, but being fifty metres away and checing on them every half an hour is perfectly legal.

The legality of it isn't really an issue to me.

The mind-set behind any mother (or father) who would sashay off for tapas leaving her BABIES alone in a strange room, in a strange country, is the issue.

Madeline McCann is the UK's JBR.

 

[brit1981]

No it should not be legal, but the fact is it is. Until a friend who was a nanny told me about the service I had never heard of it, but a few google searches show it is really, really common so the McCanns behaved no differently from tens of thousands of holiday makers all over Europe. I think for a lot of people they hear about others using these listening service and it lulls them into a false sense of security. I always feel less safe in a place I do not now, but I think for a lot of people it is the opposite and they feel safer and more relaxed on holiday.

 

[badhorsie]

I have never heard of a parent who uses a listening service in a hotel having their child removed from them. Not once. If it was illegal the hotels would be in trouble for providing the service. It is irresponsibe, but the fact is that thousands of people use them, and it is perfectly legal. leaving a toddler and not checking on them at all is illegal, but being fifty metres away and checing on them every half an hour is perfectly legal.

But the Ocean Club did not provide this service as it was not deemed safe, yet the McCann's party decided that it was.

They could have used a babysitter but , so I have read, they were reluctant to leave their children with strangers. However they left all three children with strangers in the creche on a daily basis.
It make me wonder why they took the children on holiday with them at all.

Legal does not mean safe. We will have to agree to differ, I do not believe that to leave a 3 year old and 2 year old twins alone at night with an unlocked door is safe, EVER.

I don't believe that the McCanns harmed their daughter but I wish that, with their high public profile afterwards, that they had used their publicity to warn parents against leaving children alone.

 

[saggymoon]

But the Ocean Club did not provide this service as it was not deemed safe, yet the McCann's party decided that it was.

They could have used a babysitter but , so I have read, they were reluctant to leave their children with strangers. However they left all three children with strangers in the creche on a daily basis.
It make me wonder why they took the children on holiday with them at all.

Legal does not mean safe. We will have to agree to differ, I do not believe that to leave a 3 year old and 2 year old twins alone at night with an unlocked door is safe, EVER.

I don't believe that the McCanns harmed their daughter but I wish that, with their high public profile afterwards, that they had used their publicity to warn parents against leaving children alone.

Well, they did complain and were very angry that Portugal did not have an amber alert system, strange that, as in their situtation it would have been of no use whatsoever even if it existed, see? always someone elses fault, thats the only message meted out with their publicity

 

[saggymoon]

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=GB#/watch?v=qniQYQmXcEI

another view

 

[saggymoon]

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=GB#/watch?v=ZJHIACFEukk


http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=GB#/watch?v=dHreJlcmBns

Somewhere in this documentary the journalist shows how far away the flat really was and that contrary to what was said the children were not in the direct line of sight of the parents at all or earshot.

 

[SapphireSteel]

No it should not be legal, but the fact is it is. Until a friend who was a nanny told me about the service I had never heard of it, but a few google searches show it is really, really common so the McCanns behaved no differently from tens of thousands of holiday makers all over Europe. I think for a lot of people they hear about others using these listening service and it lulls them into a false sense of security. I always feel less safe in a place I do not now, but I think for a lot of people it is the opposite and they feel safer and more relaxed on holiday.

They did behave differently.

Nanny services are available because there is a demand - ie. people use them. That is what is common.

What is NOT common is choosing a holiday destination WITH a nanny service, and not using it, and instead creating some convuluted "checking" regime requiring people to leave their meals during the evening, at special set times. How absurd.

 

[saggymoon]

There was also a free night creche open till 11.30pm but they thought the best option was leaving three babies on their own and in an unlocked flat 150 metres away out of ear and eyeshot

thousands do this? pull the other one

how any parent can sit and eat and drink and feel comfortable is beyond me

 

[SapphireSteel]

There was also a free night creche open till 11.30pm but they thought the best option was leaving three babies on their own and in an unlocked flat 150 metres away out of ear and eyeshot

thousands do this? pull the other one

how any parent can sit and eat and drink and feel comfortable is beyond me

Did you know that that morning, Madeline had said to her mother "why didn't you come when I cried last night?".

This clearly shows that M was distressed at being alone, and KM knew it.

So WHY did KM decide to swing off YET AGAIN for Tapas? It was the final night of her holiday, it wouldn't have killed her to stay in for once, but no.....

IMO she doubled the sleeping draught and accidentally killed her....she is a failed anesthetist, after all.