In England the McCanns would be arrested

[LostPuppy]

Off the bat, I of course hope with all my heart that Madeleine is returned safely

But her "parents" are a disgrace. They left Madeleine and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie sleeping in the apartment ON THEIR OWN. They had taken turns to return from the restaurant to check on their children.

Now hang on! In this country that is illegal, for very good reason.

Even if they 'checked on them' every five minutes that's plenty of time for one of the kids to wake up and try to go to the toilet and crack it's head open slipping on the bathroom floor, or something equally disastrous. They'd never hear the screaming from a bloody restaurant down the road!

Obviously it's unlikely, but I just cant comprehend the mentality of leaving three children under 3 alone on their own, ever, let alone at night in a foreign country!

Baysmum...so you think other peopel just don't do enough then when their Kids been abducted or whatever...I truely hope you don't beleive that...as that would basically be like saying they don't care about their missing children...

it just isn't true that you only get media coverage if you are middle class and well off. Who remembers the amount of coverage of the disappearance (and sadly murder) of Sarah Payne? Her parents were (IIRC) neither well off nor middle class they were however determined to keep her case high on the media agenda.

everyone that I have spoken to about this who DON't have children have expressed amazement they were left and asked if everyone does that.

The McCanns have paid the ultimate price for their judgement to leave the children. I don't think anyone would actually think to mitigate a risk that someone could break into an apartment and steal a child.

You know your children really well. You see them sleep soundly every night without incident and often out of earshot. Yes technically something could happen. The benefit of hindsight in this case is heartbreaking.

As usual you can't make a blanket judgement. So many times the risks you take are influenced by the situation you are in.

8 couples with young children went away together on a holiday to what they thought was a secure location. All the parents presumably left their children in the rooms The whole holiday resort, the listening service is all designed with security for your children in mind.

None of us know what we would have done in the same situation. All the couples left their children - should they all be arrested?

Should anyone on a Matthew Warner holiday who uses the listening service be arrested? Does a listening service exempt you from leaving them?

I don't agree that this shouldn't be talked about. But mainly because I know that the McCanns will be living out this same debate every second of their waking life, now and probably for the rest of their lives.

LOveangel...I don't think you cna compare the stories though....

so who's campaigning for the other 450 children then? why are their faces not plastered all over television/the newspapers/why are their no emails being sent to hundreds of thousands of inboxes?

why is this one child more signifficant than those other 450 children? is it because her parents are doctors? a fact which the media seems to feel the costant need to remind us of. or is it because she's pretty? white? from a middle class background?

Aimsmum, I have copy pasted this from an American website that helps with missing children:-

Over 2.1 million children are reported missing in the United States every year.

85 % of Missing children are runaways
14 % are non-custodial parental abductions
1 % are unknown or stranger abductions

I would imagine the statistics are similar in the UK if not worldwide and I think the reason Madeleine and cases like Madeleine's hit the news is that they fall into the 1% which thankfully makes their cases unusual.

belgianbun - then when IS the time to discuss it? Ten years down the line? I am not judging anyone about this. All i am saying is that had they not left her alone then she would still be with them.. No doubt they have thought about that. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. But a 4 year old is not responsible for herself. Her parents are.

That's crap@huff puff, I'm sorr.

Every single person on this thread is expressing their individual opinion loud and clear. What saddens me is that some people put good taste, sensitivity and human decency way down the list and prioritise gobbing off their opinions above having a bit of bloody compassion.

Who knows if she was abducted or if she may have woken up and wandered outside?

This whole set up of slagging off anyone who dares show that they are maybe a little overprotective by saying they are "halo polishing" and "smug" is more than slightly hypocritical.

So what if some find the safety of their children more important than a social life. Some of the scenarios presented are just ludicrous in an attempt to justify leaving 3 babies under the age of 4 in a ground floor flat and in a back bedroom right beside a road.

And even that is different from those who have said they "pop downstairs" from a hotel room. Downstairs, not across the lane, by the hedge, past the swimming pool and behind the wall.

wannabe...sadly I really think it's down to those shallow things...she is such a beautyful little girl, her parents are good looking, and presumably decent people, blablabla....it's sooo sooo sad....
and I know people hate to believe it, BUT those things do make a difference.....because if you look pretty/handsome people are more liekly drawn to you and all that....

cloudhopper - I don't think they used the listening service? correct me if I've misunderstood this though.

LoveAngel - i, just like everyone else, wish the safe return of Madelaine. I dont think anyone would ever say different.

But i cannot understand why,when hundreds of children are missing, that this case is dominating the media every day.

Just read this whole thread then had a bath to think about it. Its odd but at work and in a number of social situations recently I have heard the same question asked as the OP makes. It has been a hot topic of debate at my work (childcare!). At no time has it got so heated and aggressive as this. Seems it is okay to discuss it in person but people get very offended when it is written down and posted. Wonder why.

No, sorry, maisymum, I don't think there was a listening service at this resort. It isn't that they did or didn't use it, it's just that since this would most likely not have prevented this happening anyway, then it is almost irrelevant whether they did or not.

I can't really see a big difference personally between using a listening service when you leave them and not doing.

Message withdrawn

I think the fact that it happened abroad to a British child has something to do with it. I don't buy the class thing at all. I think any UK family in this circumstance would have had the same coverage. They may be getting a largely sympathetic hearing in the media but they getting a hell of a drubbing on websites like this one.

ch - thanks for explaining as I hadn't realised this - just thought they hadn't used the service. Wonder why it wasn't an opinion at this resort?

That is the sad thing really...I mean, don't get me wrong, not a problem that Madeleines case gets so much coverage...but it must be a stab in teh back to other family's going through similar things, to know these things weren't done for them

ahhh - meant option not opinion!!!!

Message withdrawn

I don't want to post on this thread. I think some of the views expressed here are sanctimonious and cruel.

however, I do have to reiterate the fact that abductions by strangers are extremely rare indeed. yes, hundreds of children are missing, but very few are as random as this. The media coverage of this case (which I do think is way over the top) is not to do with class or looks, but to do with the there-but-for-the-grace-of-god-ness of the case. free trips to portugal for the journos probably has something to do with it as well. In fact the suggestion that it's something to do with class or looks or whatever is really getting on my nerves now.

and it's not illegal to leave children in the uk for half an hour at a time.

I agree Aimsmum - it would have a totally different coverage.

Hear hear senorap.