missing maddie

[dennis99ss]

This is not to say that I don't feel sorry for these parents, or that I don't want the child to be returned, etc., but, am I the only one to think that the parents are out of line.....

"Looking at it from where we are now," she said, "I don't feel we were irresponsible, I feel we are very responsible parents, you can't help but have emotions like that."

"For us it really wasn't all that different from having dinner in your garden in the proximity of the location," she said.

I mean they left a 4 year old, and two 2 year olds alone, in their villa, while they went to the restaurant with friends.

The article went on to say they felt guilt.......I bet, I would not know how to get over the feeling of, huh, guess we should have ordered in that night, or hired a baby sitter. I would think here, the parents would be under investigation for child endangerment.

Am I the only one that seems to feel this way?

 

[lg3]

I didn't read the entire story in detail - just had a moment in the grocery isle with it, but I was absolutely shocked that anyone would leave their small children unattended and leave the building. I certainly wouldn't do it at home, and definitely not in an unfamiliar place. I just hope there can be a happy ending here......

 

[cybrkitn]

No you are not the only one. This happened in a different country where leaving the kids alone like that is considered normal and not out of the ordinary.

Do I personally feel it's right in what they did? No. I just hope and pray that they find her alive and well. I can't even imaging what they are going through right now as well as how guilty they must be feeling.

 

[castleview]

Who cares at this point. Although I wouldn't have done that, my young kids have been out of my sight for a few moments here and there. Heck, how many moms leave a kid in the car to run the older kid into school? Someone was obviously watching this family before he made his move.

All I know is that these people tried to have children for years before they went for fertility treatments. I'm sure they are kicking themselves right now and don't need people questioning their decisions when they are regretting them right now.

 

[emily1982]

No you are not the only one. This happened in a different country where leaving the kids alone like that is considered normal and not out of the ordinary.

Do I personally feel it's right in what they did? No. I just hope and pray that they find her alive and well. I can't even imaging what they are going through right now as well as how guilty they must be feeling.

I wouldn't say it's normal to leave your kids alone in the UK or in Europe, its no different to the states...and there has been lots of debates over this...the parents have said it was no different than sitting in your back garden and your children being upstairs asleep in bed, and i do believe that. But at the end of the day there is a child missing who needs to be found.I don't think, unless you live in Europe or in the UK you could comprehend the media coverage this case has got...let's just hope they find Maddie.

 

[Chicago526]

Nobody thinks this as normal over here...and there has been lots of debates over it...the parents have said it was no different than sitting in your back garden and your children being upstairs asleep in bed, and i do believe that. But at the end of the day there is a child missing who needs to be found.I don't think, unless you live in Europe or in the UK you could comprehend the media coverage this case has got...let's just hope they find Maddie.

Actually, here in the US a case like that would get HUGE media coverage, so yeah, I think we can imagine! At least in missing child/person cases, all that attention is a good thing. Some of the things the media decides deserves 24/7 coverage are insane!

 

[Tybug]

No you are not the only one. This happened in a different country where leaving the kids alone like that is considered normal and not out of the ordinary.
Do I personally feel it's right in what they did? No. I just hope and pray that they find her alive and well. I can't even imaging what they are going through right now as well as how guilty they must be feeling.

We have many friends that originated from England and they were all raised this way. I near about fell out the first time they left their kids alone for us to go to dinner. I explained how here that was not a good idea and could land you in a world of trouble. Not sure if they ever started hiring sitters or not as it was never discussed again.

Also have a friend from Scotland who does not leave her kids alone to go out but her parents did.

So no, I don't feel the parents were out of line. It was probably the way they were raised. Furthermore, I don't feel any less sorry for them than the parents that have a child taken while the family is at a mall.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

I know they are trying to keep their spirits up but if this is the attitude then the other 2 should be taken by Child services as well.

They were not at home in their garden, they were in a different country all together.

I'm sorry no matter how you want to spin it it's child neglect in it's truest form.

Again I hope all turns out well but at this point it's not going to and something just doesn't feel right about the entire story. It will all come out in the end or it will become another JonBenet

 

[Luv'sTink]

Who cares at this point. Although I wouldn't have done that, my young kids have been out of my sight for a few moments here and there. Heck, how many moms leave a kid in the car to run the older kid into school? Someone was obviously watching this family before he made his move.

All I know is that these people tried to have children for years before they went for fertility treatments. I'm sure they are kicking themselves right now and don't need people questioning their decisions when they are regretting them right now.

I have NEVER left my child or any child in a car while I went in to do anything! I remember being so happy when gas stations started accepting CC at the pump so I wouldn't have to get my DS out of the car to pay. I also switched banks because my original bank didn't have a drive up.

 

[emily1982]

Who cares at this point. Although I wouldn't have done that, my young kids have been out of my sight for a few moments here and there. Heck, how many moms leave a kid in the car to run the older kid into school? Someone was obviously watching this family before he made his move.

All I know is that these people tried to have children for years before they went for fertility treatments. I'm sure they are kicking themselves right now and don't need people questioning their decisions when they are regretting them right now.

I agree with you

 

[Claire L]

They were not at home in their garden, they were in a different country all together.

I'm sorry no matter how you want to spin it it's child neglect in it's truest form.

Again I hope all turns out well but at this point it's not going to and something just doesn't feel right about the entire story. It will all come out in the end or it will become another JonBenet

I totally agree with you on this one, I have felt uneasy since this story first broke and having worked on several missing childrens enquiries it just sends a chill down your spine.

On another note I tend to disagree it is not the norm here in England to leave your kids alone whilst you go out to dinner, and you certainly do commit offences such as neglect and abandonment, depending on their ages, and the ages of these children are so young that they easily fall into this category. As for the parents saying they were 'naive', no they we downright neglectful IMHO. Even so this poor little girl much have been really frightened when she was snatched and if she is still alive and I say if she must be wondering what is going on.

Claire

 

[Stepht5]

Who cares at this point. Although I wouldn't have done that, my young kids have been out of my sight for a few moments here and there. Heck, how many moms leave a kid in the car to run the older kid into school? Someone was obviously watching this family before he made his move.

All I know is that these people tried to have children for years before they went for fertility treatments. I'm sure they are kicking themselves right now and don't need people questioning their decisions when they are regretting them right now.

I have never left a young child in a car!!! If you had a million Dollars in cash would you leave it on the seat while you ran in for *just a minute*!!!

 

[SeaSpray]

Who cares at this point. Although I wouldn't have done that, my young kids have been out of my sight for a few moments here and there. Heck, how many moms leave a kid in the car to run the older kid into school? Someone was obviously watching this family before he made his move.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Are you saying that YOU do this, or have done this????? They should throw people in freaking jail for that!!!!!

There was a story in recent years of an idiot mom who went into an ATM or something and someone stole her car with a child in it, and the child's back door was not closed all the way and the child, while strapped into its carseat (the carseat had partially fallen out of the car), was DRAGGED DOWN A HIGHWAY while the thief was trying to get away!!!


My DSs are now 19 and 16 and I did not need a news story like that to make me see WHY you don't leave a child unattended in a car. COMMON SENSE told me that you just don't do that. PEOPLE HAVE NO COMMON SENSE ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[goofy's friends]

Wow--you guys are being awfullly harsh. These poor parents are kicking themselves enough without everyone telling them what they should have done. I really feel sorry for these parents--they loved their child. Everyone makes different parenting decisions--hopefully none will have such negative consequences, but other people may judge you as being too liberal or not enough with your own kids, so be careful abuot judging others.

 

[Cool-Beans]

This is not to say that I don't feel sorry for these parents, or that I don't want the child to be returned, etc., but, am I the only one to think that the parents are out of line.....

I mean they left a 4 year old, and two 2 year olds alone, in their villa, while they went to the restaurant with friends.

The article went on to say they felt guilt.......I bet, I would not know how to get over the feeling of, huh, guess we should have ordered in that night, or hired a baby sitter. I would think here, the parents would be under investigation for child endangerment.

Am I the only one that seems to feel this way?

I'm sure if that happened here, many people would have called CPS. And they'd want the parents charged with some kind of crime because they wouldn't feel the parents had suffered enough for their pleasure.

My heart goes out to these people and all people whose child has been taken. I can't imagine anything worse than that. Not one single thing.

I wouldn't bother charging them with anything because I think they've suffered enough. Not only was their child taken, but now tons of people are adding insult to injury.

 

[Stepht5]

Wow--you guys are being awfullly harsh. These poor parents are kicking themselves enough without everyone telling them what they should have done. I really feel sorry for these parents--they loved their child. Everyone makes different parenting decisions--hopefully none will have such negative consequences, but other people may judge you as being too liberal or not enough with your own kids, so be careful abuot judging others.

They didn't make a *different* parenting decesion... what they did was abandon their children (every night of their vacation -- it was a pattern) so that they could eat and have drinks with friends. This resort had babysitters that they could of hired to stay with the children and they didn't do that!
If you saw a map of the resort you would aslo note that you couldn't really *see* the room from the bar/resturant. The Tapa bar was on one side of theresort and the room was on the exact opposite side.
And there was an unsecured driveway right next to the apt/room they were renting that led (just a few yards) to a road.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Wow--you guys are being awfullly harsh. These poor parents are kicking themselves enough without everyone telling them what they should have done. I really feel sorry for these parents--they loved their child. Everyone makes different parenting decisions--hopefully none will have such negative consequences, but other people may judge you as being too liberal or not enough with your own kids, so be careful abuot judging others.

This is my problem they didn't really seem that distralt when they were first interviewed. Maybe they were just trying to be calm but still just no real feeling either way.

 

[sha_lyn]

There was a story in recent years of an idiot mom who went into an ATM or something and someone stole her car with a child in it, and the child's back door was not closed all the way and the child, while strapped into its carseat (the carseat had partially fallen out of the car), was DRAGGED DOWN A HIGHWAY while the thief was trying to get away!!!

not to defend the person who stole the car... but the car seat didn't just fall out of the car because the door wasn't shut. The mother ran along the side of the car, opened the door and tried to take the child/carseat out wihtout unbuckling the child from the seat, or the seat from the car.

To defend the mom however, from what I remember she was standing at the ATM just within a couple of ft of the car. Haven't you ever gone ahead and put a child in the car while loading groceries etc. IMHO the only thing to mom did wrong was to leave the keys in the car and the doors unlocked.

As for the family in the case of the OP...I've only heard bits and pieces of the story, so I really can't comment. I thought that I had read that they could see their room from the restaurant, but I am probably mistaken.

 

[sha_lyn]

This is my problem they didn't really seem that distralt when they were first interviewed. Maybe they were just trying to be calm but still just no real feeling either way.

ever heard of shock?

 

[KirstenB]

I've unintentionally done many stupid things while raising our kids, and I'm sure I'll do many more. I don't judge these parents.