To think that if you can't remember to take your 8 year old home from the pub then you can't be trusted to run the country?

[PrettyPrinceofParties]

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/jun/11/david-cameron-daughter-behind-pub?newsfeed=true

Not confused. Just seeking unity of approach.

Let us not start threads lambasting parents for making mistakes.
Then we won't need to go all 'blimey you weird cool types leaving your dc to go to the toilet alone when anything could happen
And that would mean no need to go 'bloody hell. An 8 year old should be able to go to the loo alone unless they have hysterical over protective parents'

Wouldn't that be nice?

I also wonder if they are going to sign thenselves up for the new parenting lesson

Kalskirata - really, you think anyone can design?

YABVU.

Never thought he could run the country, just adds to his uselessness

Where did the story originate from? I can't believe the Camerons deliberately fed it to the press.

To be positive, isn't it refreshing to see the father taking the flak for some dodgy parenting of his children for once

(however "understandable" you think it is, you have to admit it's suboptimal parenting)

yup Nancy. Its a hole with handles to put stuff in, not rocket science. And most of the 'designer' ones are hideously ugly.

You'd rather our nation be run by an android then? Didn't you watch Alien the other night?

Even the PM is human and it was a misunderstanding; it's not like he just 'forgot' her.

I think she was trying to make a bid for freedom.

Be fair, she's 8 years old and he's the country's top Tory - he should have packed her off to boarding school by now.

parenting lessons :o

YANBU. I don't understand how they managed it [agnry].

Toaster does have a point, but still pm made a very stupid mistake

Wow I think belle might be my mother.

We were out for lunch recently and my 12 year old wanted the toilet. She nearly had conniptions at the thought of her going herself. Poor dd1 was mortified and just crossed her legs for the rest of the lunch.

However. It doesn't affect most people because leaving a child by mistake does not become a security risk which could compromise the leader of the country.

Does anyone remember the huge hoo hash about people leaving laptops and folders behind them? And a lot of you don't think the daughter of the prime minister is a bad thing to be leaving by mistake??

Sorry Radio 4 - I do not believe that Cameron 'does chillax' or 'keep it real'. That is about as shudder worthy as Ian Duncan Smith in his baseball cap, or your dad wearing a t-shirt.

Where were the bodyguards?

I know of one kid whose family is very well connected abroad and he has a constant entourage of fierce looking bodyguards (the smile nicely at you but they are really sizing you up and locating your weak spot).

V amusing on a day when the government is attacking 'problem families'. Guess it's only a problem if you leave the kids in the pub and you are poor...

I did it last year at the zoo. We got separated and I had a very tearful 7 year old. I then bought two www.icecodes.co.uk and luckily not had to use them so far.

I remember taking my two older DDs to their ballet class and leaving DC3, then a baby, in the pram and then getting the girls changed and leaving, actually forgetting I had a DC3. In my defence, I was extremely sleep-deprived.

It's obviously not great parenting on behalf of the Camerons but I can imagine Dh and I doing a similar sort of thing as Dh is very laidback (and inclined to let the children wander off in the interests of promoting their 'personal freedom' ) and I'm quite scatty, and struggle to remember how many children I'm meant to have with me at any one time. I wouldn't trust either of us with running the country.

Yeah, yeah yeah, we know the child wasn't upset etc but storminabutterteacup took the words right out of my mouth.
Our youngest is older and we still make sure we have everyone as we move around the zoo or where ever we happen to be, and if we happened to be travelling in more than one vehicle (when out with family children can decide to go in cars with cousins we double check all is right.

So many responsible adults and yes it's easily done... but swop PM for local teacher or any common person and see what would have happened!

I have never left/lost either of my DC. I did however lose my much younger sister (I was 14, she was 4) in a shop and had a complete and utter meltdown trying to find her.

That said, I have been known to have a heart attack and run around looking for DC/having announcements put out for them when I forget they wasn't actually even with me to begin with. I am that used to having them with me all the time, I always get that gut wrenching feeling when I see the empty seats in the back and think "Sheyat, I have left them!!" before realising that they are with their father/auntie/uncle/Nan on the odd occasion I actually get out for an hour without them.

It can be done. No, social services will not (and should not) get involved. It was a silly, stupid mistake but no one is perfect, including the PM/Queen/Obama and no doubt it will be a mistake that they will definitely try to make sure won't happen again.

It isn't like they had said "Oh, I have a brilliant idea. Let's go to the pub for a meal and leave DD behind for kidnappers", is it?

Did the papers say which car she was in when they went to the pub (the BBC article had no details)?

If she'd originally been in the other car and then his car left the pub first then surely he would be entitled to assume she was going back in the same car she arrived in?

Has no-one noticed the article says Nancy was "helping staff" when Cameron returned. This is just a PR stunt so that when the Government reintroduce child labour, they can say Nancy was leading by example...