In 1986, when I was 10, we went on a family holiday to Morocco. Every single day, I used to escape from the hotel and take myself up off the main street and into the bazaar area whilst my parents were in the bar. I suspect they presumed that I was in our cramped family room (I slept on a pull out bed at the foot of theirs), until one of them was sent to check on me, hours later - every day, mind - only to find me missing. By the end of the first week, the hotel had security men posted on the doors into the hotel foyer, which I had to cross in order to escape. I befriended them, and they used to send me darting off up the main street to fetch them sweetmeats, etc.
In hindsight... my parents were bloody lucky nothing nasty happened to me. The shopkeepers I met were bemused and tolerant of this caucasian girl who used to sit and watch them haggle, and actually, because of the freedom I found for myself? It was the best family holiday I ever went on with my parents. I do understand, in hindsight/as a parent myself, how bloody lucky I was, though. Especially as where we were, isn't that far from where only 20 odd years later Madeline was taken/snatched from.
My daughter is a few years older than Madeline and yes; we holidayed abroad when she was a toddler. Not once did I leave her by herself so that I could have time to myself. Partly because we'd all been made aware of the dangers, anyway, but mostly because I remembered how fortunate I'd been as a child not to have anything nasty happen to me during that holiday (previous family holidays, I had at least one older brother trailing round after me). Do I condone what the McCanns did? No. But I cannot and will not condemn them, either. They have to live every single day with the consequences of the choice they made. Their twins' entire lives will have been affected by the consequences of their parents choices - and will continue to be so, because although the press have backed off now? When they're adults, they'll be back in full force. And, of course, Madeline... whatever happened to her, is as a result of her parents middle class way of thinking - and I completely "get" that line of thought, because I know my parents were the same. I'm around the same age as Gerry and Kate are - and when we were growing up? It was safe/normal for parents on holiday to head for the bar, or a restaurant whilst their children - of whatever age - slept. Now? It's not.
I've watched the entire series and, actually, it's very balanced - and the conclusion it seems to have drawn is that they aren't/weren't to blame for whatever happened to Madeline. However, they have to live with her not being in their midst every single day... and that is their life sentence.