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!

Dear Lost Puppy

I object to the way that some Mumsnetters resort to abuse.

What you say is entirely correct. What the McCanns did was entirely ILLEGAL. No parent of my acquaintance, not even the most abusive of the mumsnetters, would have done the same.

I am glad that you have had the courage to raise this point. I am involved with some childcare cases, and this is a very serious issue of child neglect.

No parent should leave any toddler unattended, asleep or awake, and then go to a different building. A child faces all sorts of risks inside the building (choking, illness, tripping, night frights etc). It is ABSOLUTELY reprehensible that they also left the patio doors open. Next door to the apartment building there was a main road. In front of the apartment building there was a swimming pool. WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THEIR HEADS FFS?

I do not think that the McCanns should be prosecuted. They are clearly suffering enough. But the one who is suffering most from their selfishness and irresponsibility is little Madeleine.

Prayers for her safe return.

Yes.

Did anyone see Question Time last night? Lostpuppy's OP was near to what one audience member said (something about had the McCann's not been doctors but unemployed and poor they would have been arrested) and he was given a huge round of applause.

No one would say the McCann's deserve their dd getting taken away however my thoughts are not with them.

My main concern is that little girl and what has happened to her.

I do wonder at some who have jumped to the defense of the family, how their opinions would be if it had been a less well-off or less "nice" family. There are a lot of sanctimonious people on here and it helps no one if things are not allowed to be even discussed without them flapping about it.

LostPuppy - shame on you for such a vitriolic nasty kick a poor family when they are down. im ashamed u have posted

get back in your cage

show some emapthy and compassion for two people who have had their heart ripped out world turned upside down

the perpetratopr of this hideous foul vile nasty crime is truly worth of your vitriolic bile

leave the mCCanns alone

agree with dinosaur

It feels like if something happened to my kids I would feel guilty if I got media coverage cos I am white and middle class.

You're right it is the person who abducted Madeleine who is at fault but there is also a risk element to leaving yuor children unattended. I am not saying that if you leave your children unattended they should be abducted but you do run a higher risk of something happening to them if you are not about. But I agree it is pointless at this time to point fingers it is just so sad.

Dear (aptly named) Dinosaur

Lets hypothesise -

(i) You leave a toddler alone in a kitchen with a kitchen knife set within the toddler's reach. Toddler cuts 3 fingers off.

(ii) You leave a toddler (who cannot swim) napping in the garden with a big and deep pond that is not fenced off. Toddler wakes up, toddles over to the pond, falls in and drowns.

(iii) You leave a toddler asleep for half an hour while you nip round to the pub for a swift half. Toddler wakes up ill, chokes on own vomit and dies.

You might say that all these things are acts of god. I say they are all acts of parental negligence.

The monster who abducted Maddy is sick and vile and evil. But the parents left her alone to fight him off. That's parental negligence.

Or, you sit in the garden for a glass of wine on a summer's evening. Someone breaks into your house and takes your child. Your fault? I think not!

lost puppy, have you ever done something that you regret??Obviously not. And its not illegal to leave your children alone.

yes i have done that left slleping baby in cot whilst i sat in my own garden with wine

ooo im so so bad am i - does that deserve me losing my precious baby i think not

It's not illegal

Quattrocento - what do yuo think should happne then?
they should be taken to court? They know they've done something wrong, Madeleine's Grandmother said that on the news a fortnight ago. What do you want to happen to them? Tar and feather them fgs?

Quattrocentro, I am very interested to know how you manage to never leave your sleeping toddler alone for half an hour.
Do you and your partner take it in turns to sit in with him/her all night, or do you employ someone to do it for you?

Tortoiseshell, true that is not your fault because you would still be nearby. That would be just another tragic case.

However had you popped into a neighbours house say 50 yards away...

My biggest fear about that would be fire, I know some have said choking, and also if a child woke up screaming from a nightmare or night frights. You would hear that from the garden unless you are very rich and have a huge garden.

i really am in two minds whether to get this offensive horrid thread pulled

And Lucy Jones - be you so ever white and middle class - if you openly admitted to habitually leaving children unattended at night, I could not in all honesty leave you with any children in your care.

This is not about blame. THis is about responsible parenting. I don't inject heroin in front of the children, indulge in random lewd acts, steal cars etc etc. Why not? Well these would all be illegal.

AS IS LEAVING TODDLERS ALONE.

Oksy Lucy Jones. Tell me when did you last leave three tots alone in a building (in front of a pool and next to a main road) while you went out drinking?

that there would be fire rather.

Kathy6incheshigh

You asked me a question about how I never managed to leave my toddlers alone?

Well by the simple expedient of always being within earshot and in the same building at night.

Whenever we went out, which was not often, we had sitters.

Are we unusual in this?

i have reported this thread as offensive hope it gets deleted

I may not necessarily agree with LostPuppy either but a lot of people I have spoken to have expressed such an opinion.

I would also defend this person's right to put this opinion into the public arena.

Saying f off you saddo and such like is no reasoned argument at all towards such dissent.

Think MN has been pretty much balanced overall - there's been plenty of criticism on other sites regarding the conduct of Madeleine's parents.

Q you wouldn't necessarily hear them throwing up and choking on vomit. If you think you would then you are being a bit naive and I would certainly not want you looking after my children.

You have all the doors open, never have the tv or music on in the evenings, of course..... but even so, you would have to sit in silence.

Is that what you do?

Everyone has an equal right to express an opinion regardless of whether it sits with your own philosophy or not.

It's preposterous to equate being in a house with your children to leaving them in a room at a resort.