Why didn't the parents hire someone to watch the children?

[teacherbees]

You are obviously a loving and concerned parent and no one knows your child better than you do. You've given a valid worry (someone knowing she's alone and coming to harm her) but you've also indicated she's a very resonsible young lady. I have one of those myself and I truly feel like she is mature enough (and was at 17) to keep herself safe.

So, in the end - you'll make the call and it will be a wise one.

 

[Texana]

See cali, This is were I struggle. My daughter is very responsible and I know that there would be no drinking , smoking ect... My biggest concern is someone knowing she is home alone and harm coming to her. I think I watch to many movies and read this site too often.

Have you heard of the book Queen Bees and Wanna Bes by Rosalind Wiseman? She has a very funny and smart chapter on how to know if your teenager had a party while you were gone. I can't remember what she (she was a school counselor for years) may have said in the end about leaving them for a weekend but the line "the house will be scrupulously clean but there will not be one roll of toilet paper left" still makes me laugh.

It is hard to know what to do in these situations!

I had a former neighbor who told me as soon as we moved in, "If you ever see a bunch of cars at our house, it means we are gone and our son is having a party. Call the sheriff."

So the first day of spring break, we saw cars starting to arrive. First a couple, then more, then as the day went into evening, groups began arriving. I called the house twice but no one would answer. So I called the sheriff.

Then we watched as the kids began spilling out like ants out of an anthill.

Later my neighbor told me her son told he he was actually glad that the sheriff came. The party was starting to get out of control and he had no idea how to stop it--and he was getting scared.

 

[jilly]

Later my neighbor told me her son told he he was actually glad that the sheriff came. The party was starting to get out of control and he had no idea how to stop it--and he was getting scared.

That's the thing Texana - word gets out and kids come in droves. Most of the time they don't even know the kid having the party!

 

[Squishified]

29???? Twenty-Nine years old??? You're a baby!!!!! LOL I'm kidding. I never pictured you so young. You're very intelligent for being so young!!!!!
Did you ever get that bike????

I've been 29 for several years now.

 

[Brefie]

I've been 29 for several years now.

Yes, Squishy, I moved in legitimately last year....I plan on being here for at least a few more years.

 

[Squishified]

Yes, Squishy, I moved in legitimately last year....I plan on being here for at least a few more years.

It's fun staying 29 for years. Enjoy!

 

[southcitymom]

Now me? I have a 17-year-old daughter, and I have no problem leaving her home by herself. She's a responsible girl, doesn't smoke or drink and I know all of her friends. They're all good kids. The three youngest and I went on a 4-day vacation last summer and she's at that age where she didn't want to go. I let her stay home, and she did just fine with two of her best friends taking turns keeping her company. I even asked the neighbors afterwards and they said there were no problems.

I think it depends on the child and the parent. When I was 17, I was in college and was unparentally supervised at all times. I think most 17 year olds should be learning how to stay along responsibly. After all, they are leaning heavily on the door to adulthood.

 

[NewMom2003]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!! If we were going someplace that was not appropriate for my child, then we just wouldn't go. I would never put my "wants" to go somewhere ahead of my children's safety. NEVER!

That's why I just don't get why these people left 3 small children alone while they went out to dinner. I don't care how close they thought they were to them. The reasoning that they didn't want to leave them with strangers is just plain stupid. Wouldn't you rather hire a "stranger" caregiver rather than leave them alone in a hotel room? :waitasec: Why didn't they just take the children with them if this was a family vacation?

 

[CaliKid]

See cali, This is were I struggle. My daughter is very responsible and I know that there would be no drinking , smoking ect... My biggest concern is someone knowing she is home alone and harm coming to her. I think I watch to many movies and read this site too often.

Yes, I can see how you would be worried. I have the luxury of living in a quiet, very safe neighborhood of mostly retirees. In fact, except for my daughter, the oldest children around here are middle-schoolers. She and I had an agreement that if I left her home she could not tell any of her friends (except the two who stayed) she was home by herself. And she didn't want to- she wanted the peace and quiet of hanging with her two BFF's without a lot of people popping in.

 

[CaliKid]

That's the thing Texana - word gets out and kids come in droves. Most of the time they don't even know the kid having the party!

This happened to my sister and b.i.l a few months ago. They went on vacation and left their two supposedly-responsible sons home. Even though he'd been warned not to do it, the youngest- age 15- decided to invite a few friends over. Before he knew it, kids he didn't even know were all over his house. They stole his mom's jewelry and mementos his dad saved from his grandfather, drank every drop of liquor and trashed the place. Older brother was working two jobs and didn't even know what was going on until he came home at 1 a.m. and found 30 teenagers doing everything imaginable. Oooooh, was my nephew in t-r-o-u-b-l-e! He's still grounded.

 

[KR2tonenow]

ahhh, the 2 million pound question?

 

[CaliKid]

According to a the N.G . TV show no one other than the parents saw little Madeleine alive after the time that was 2 hours before the dinner. If that is correct then the death of the child may have happened already and so they might have then decided to use the dinner to both build a fake alibi and also to deflect suspicion of a death by seeming to only be overly neglectful parents whose child was kidnapped.

This dinner act would cause people to think a death had not happened or at least had not yet happened.

This dinner act would set up a fake alibi for a faked time of a supposedly nondeath crime.

This dinner act would generate so much controversy over their alleged poor parenting as to deflect attention away from the thought of them having done anything criminal in the disappearance of little Madeleine.

*********
Why not hire someone to watch the children? My opinion is that it is possible: Perhaps they would have hired someone to watch the children if she had not died almost 2 hours before the dinner.

It is also possible they are innocent but for now the evidence being reported in MSM (Main Stream Media) seems to point at the parents being involved in the disappearance.

According to rumor, the McCanns hired a sitter and then canceled. I don't know when or why. Perhaps because Madeleine was already dead?

 

[KR2tonenow]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

take 2 two pills and call me the AM (oops sorry!!!)

 

[SleuthMom]

According to rumor, the McCanns hired a sitter and then canceled. I don't know when or why. Perhaps because Madeleine was already dead?

Really? Any references you could provide? Thanks.

 

[ThoughtFox]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!! If we were going someplace that was not appropriate for my child, then we just wouldn't go. I would never put my "wants" to go somewhere ahead of my children's safety. NEVER!

That's why I just don't get why these people left 3 small children alone while they went out to dinner. I don't care how close they thought they were to them. The reasoning that they didn't want to leave them with strangers is just plain stupid. Wouldn't you rather hire a "stranger" caregiver rather than leave them alone in a hotel room? :waitasec: Why didn't they just take the children with them if this was a family vacation?

I am asking myself the same question, and was just talking about this on another thread. They could have left the kids back in England, right? They could have gone on an adults-only vacation for a shorter amount of time. So why in the world do they call this a "family vacation" if they compartmentalized the children into an early bedtime at night so they could party?

Maybe I am naive, and I know I'm not well-travelled, but I do live in a touristy area, and I've been to ocean resorts. My impression has always been that the families on vacation eat meals together, kids and all, even if dinner is later than usual. I cannot imagine people in the U.S. getting away with leaving toddlers alone in a big hotel while they go down to a bar, for instance. I'm sure people probably do it, but if they got caught, the police would be called in. And according to reports, the McCanns did this many times and no one thought it was strange.

And I've only known one mother EVER who had a 7:30 bedtime for a four year old. Some kids are more wide awake and that would never work. If all of the people vacationing down there were doctors, I think all of them should be asked how important it was to all of them that the kids be in bed asleep, and just what lengths they were willing to go to in order for that to happen. It's just such bad judgment that it's impossible to figure out.

 

[southcitymom]

And I've only known one mother EVER who had a 7:30 bedtime for a four year old..... .

Add me to your list! My kids are 5 and 7 and have a 7:30 bedtime and it's been that way forever. We relax it though on weekends and vacation.

 

[spacecowboy]

Something that has made me suspicious since the beginning is the way the McCanns seem to be happy to leave their twins in a creche or wherever it is they are left since Madeleine disappeared.
I've not had a child kidnapped but I'm pretty sure in that situation my remaining children would not be out of my sight for even a second. I'd be paranoid and would no way go abroad without them Iin fact i'd not go abroad with out my children in any circumstance. My husband and I go out seperately so our youngest is happy. He's too young to leave with anyone else like a babysitter at the moment.
This makes me feel they already know there's no outside threat to their family.

 

[Brefie]

Something that has made me suspicious since the beginning is the way the McCanns seem to be happy to leave their twins in a creche or wherever it is they are left since Madeleine disappeared.
I've not had a child kidnapped but I'm pretty sure in that situation my remaining children would not be out of my sight for even a second. I'd be paranoid and would no way go abroad without them Iin fact i'd not go abroad with out my children in any circumstance. My husband and I go out seperately so our youngest is happy. He's too young to leave with anyone else like a babysitter at the moment.
This makes me feel they already know there's no outside threat to their family.

I thought about that too. But with ALL the focus on that whole area (media, authorities, busybodies) at some point common sense must prevail, ain't no-one gonna try snatching anyone else's kids during a time like that. Especially not from the same family.

 

[Show Me]

Maybe I am naive, and I know I'm not well-travelled, but I do live in a touristy area, and I've been to ocean resorts. My impression has always been that the families on vacation eat meals together, kids and all, even if dinner is later than usual.

And I've only known one mother EVER who had a 7:30 bedtime for a four year old.

When our kids were that age it was McDonalds, Chuck E. Cheese, the kiddy pool, swings...if hubby and I went on a short adult vacation one of our mothers or sibs watched the kids. The McCanns were not on a 'family' vacation IMO!

Our kids had an 8:00 bedtime and after a warm bath, tooth brushing, prayers and beddy bye story they were ready to sleep.

 

[pedinurse]

they were drunk swingers. the less people around to pick up on that, the better.