Madeleine McCann

[morningpaper]

Instead of starting lots of new posts about Madeleine, could I politely request that anyone who wants to post on the subject please post on this one thread? (N.B. Duplicate threads may be flamed hysterically.)

Please note that this thread is not to criticise Madeleine's parents or family, as this is not in the spirit of Mumsnet.

Please can I take the liberty to quote from this article:

"This is the real life of Kate and Gerry McCann, and it must now have become a place of agony beyond all understanding. Pity them, if you have any compassion at all, and demonstrate the minimum of grace: the ability to desist from judgment."

Everyone struggles with how protective to be. Needing to let them out to play yet keeping them safe is always a terrible dilemma.
Since I don't have very little ones any more I get my guidence on this from mumsnet.
On MN I've seen lots of discussions where people asked:

"is it ok to leave the kids in the house while I go across to the shop"
"I would only be gone 2 minutes and I can see the door the whole time"

The usual response is that to leave them alone even just for 2 minutes and even if you can see the door is just not unacceptable.

I left my DD yesterday sheltering from the rain right by her classroom door while I took her brother down to his classroom. Another mum was aware I was leaving her and I saw a few minutes later had taken her in. DD was absolutely fine (though quiet when I went in to see her) but I hated every minute.

MrsGofG, I have just sat through the documentary about them. Did you watch it? I hope you did and I hope you are hiding in a corner consumed with shame over your nasty, mean spirited and ill informed comments.

I don't believe that they were responsible for Madeleine's disappearance nor do I think that the Amber alert thing is a "red herring" designed to "save their own skins". I know it's not the same as having proof that they are innocent but then neither is sniping and innuendo the same as having proof of their guilt - a commodity that has been notably absent in the year since Madeleine disappeared.

lets not forget Kate and Gerry cry daily for Madeleine and the twins have a sister they haven't seen in 1yr.they are a family ripped apart by an appalling act perpetrated by an unknown person/s

I watched the documentary, and my heart ached for the parents. I wept too. God love em!

I was in tears watching this documentary. I have no doubt that they are loving parents.
But that doesn't stop it all seeming like it could have been prevented.
I've got three children close in age and the risks of leaving them alone abroad (my major worry is tiled floors and falling/slipping) to me seem high. Despite my huge compassion for this couple I just can't get my head round them thinking this was a low risk situation.
You can have both compassion and I have to admit a slight anger at them for not being more sensible.

Please petition your MEP and let something positive come out of this tragedy.
The documentary showed very clearly we NEED this alert system.

All done this end, popstar. Well done you for leading the way on MN with this

Thanks, WG!

her mum's agony was plain to see , i cried watching this and as her dad said they have to live every day knowing they weren't there for her when she needed them. Heartbreaking. Well said popstar.

I watched the documentary too and saw them on gmtv this morning. The poor mum looks ill

I hope for all their sakes she is found. I cant even begin to imagine what daily agony parents of missing children go through and what a shadow it must cast over the whole family's life

ditto what mshighwater said.

compassion washes over some people.

oiFoiF - do you mean BBC1
I too just feel for them, I can't imagine what they are going through

dont want to start this if it was done last night and i cant find it, but has anyone thought of trying to get a petition together to try and support the eurpopean version of the amber alert?, a website such as this would surley get plenty?..and it did make me sad when she mentioned the harsh comments from blogs and forumns..so maybe being a mum she 'does' read this one?

sorry ahdnt read far back enough on here..but NAB, i remember when all this came out and of different threads, quite a few parents said they WOULD leave their children alone in similar circs, or even if they ahd a huge garden to go sit at the end and have a drink/eat while children in house in bed..so even though none of us want this to happen some people 'would' still take those risks as 'they' see the risk differently?

can't understand why more MEPs won't support the amber alert.

had to stop watching last night, just too too sad.

I just hope their instinct is right and she will come home to them one day

I'm sorry if anyone thinks I'm being critical of the McCanns here I don't mean to.
But is anyone else sick of hearing oh the poor Gerry and Kate? What about Maddie shouldn't they be feeling sorry for that liitle girl? Yes I feel for the McCanns and I have to say the documentary last night TOTALLY changed my opinion of them in a good way but at the end of the day they still failed to responsibly care for their children and as a result of that Little Maddie has been the one to suffer! Sorry for ranting on and I don't mean to offend anyone just being v.opinionated . I think what they are doing for this amber alert is absolutely fantastic and it's great their making something positive come out of this tragedy don't understand why they aren't getting the bcking they need.

justrose popstar linked petition further down.

Thye aren't getting the backing becuae it is overkill- toddlers need supervision by adults, not police alerts after they have gonme missing due to lack of that supervision. All this is a smokescreen to cover the McCann's disgraceful behaviour.

oh for heavens sake. They have to live with their own actions. That in itself must be a daily punishment

Not sure it's a smoke screen what about if you were watching your dc and you turned your back as we all do for a split second and your dc got abducted surely you would want this alert and wouldn't see it as overkill ?
How can children be too protected.

I agree with you lilyloo.

Have just petitioned my MEP thanks for the link popstar. Hope iot helps a little bit. Have just read a statement saying its a smoke screen and parents should look out for their kids not the police after they've gone missing! Well obviously that's the case but I don't know how many times I've been at the park and my 22m DS has ran under a slide etc and my heart has stopped just because I couldn't see him but for all I know he couldve been taken doesnt mean I wasnt watching him!! Theres a difference between leaving your kids alone as in this case and losing sight of your child for a minute.