My eldest is the same age as Madeleine, it really wasn't normal parenting at that time, which is a large part of the reason the story generated such interest and controversy.
It's coming back to me now. The parents always maintained that they'd done nothing wrong. Then they refused to answer those police questions. Speaking to the press, Gerry in particular tied himself in knots to insist that their behaviour was normal and responsible, likening it to dining in the back garden etc.
This created a sort of cognitive dissonance because most parents of similar-aged children knew that it was absolutely odd and not normal to leave such small children unattended like that.
And Gerry McCann's determination to be right proved very alienating. He seemed overly concerned about protecting his reputation and career at all costs.
If he'd just said, we were foolish, we made a terrible mistake, people would probably have been much less sceptical.
I really feel for Kate McCann though, she always looks so broken. It's heartbreaking to think what she must have been through over the years. And heartbreaking for the twins to grow up in the shadow of such a tragedy.