If you’ve been on the moon for the past month you won’t have heard about the little girl — Madeleine McCann — who was kidnapped from a Portuguese holiday resort. Unfortunately, it’s all I’ve heard about, and while I’ve refrained from passing comment so far I can’t bear to listen to the media making martyrs out of Madeleine’s parents any longer.
The BBC have even talked about how Mrs McCann “described how the couple had struggled to have children and had waited five years for a baby
” …have they thought about how this was Mother Nature’s way of telling the obviously incompetent pair that they don’t bloody deserve children? I say this because there is not a doubt in my mind that this kidnapping was down to anything but parental neglect. Who leaves three babies in a room, on their own with no one to come running if they cry out or wake up?
Apparently the mother said: “You just don’t expect in a million years that this could happen.
” ..no, perhaps that’s why she thought it’d be a good idea to bugger off halfway across the resort without spending a penny on the available babysitting services despite the fact that they’re both employed in well-paid jobs and could more than afford them.
I hope with all my heart that Madeleine is still alive and that the parents come back to the UK to be properly brought to justice for their disgraceful lack of judgement.
27 May at 11:52 pm
I read an interview where they said the comments about neglect were “so hurtful” and that “no one felt more guilty than [they] do”, but that “the restaurant had a direct line of sight to the apartment” and their “half-hourly” checks were more than sufficient. Well, that’s changed. First the report was that they were checking on the kids every hour, and that the restaurant was right next door to the apartment… I’ve seen a map and there’s no way there could have been direct sight of it or whatever. Even if there was, it was a good distance away, and had they seen the kidnapper taking their daughter there would have been very little they could have done. I also hope she’s still alive, but seriously it is stupid how much media attention this is getting when it is the parents’ fault the girl went missing in the first place. …isn’t there a rumour that this is a conspiracy or something? I read somewhere that people were suspecting the couple of faking/setting up the kidnap or something in order to get loads of money and attention. Not sure how true that is though.
28 May at 12:00 am
Ah DUDE I know! The other week I was reading the section of the newspaper where people send in comments, and everyone was all “it’s not their fault, how many of you have turned your back on your child for a second” blah blah etc. It’s like are you stupid? Hell yes it’s the parents fault. In a way, they probably would have been better off not checking on the kids every however often it was. Obviously people noticed that ok, this couple obviously have children in there that they’re checking on and have left unattended. If they didn’t go back and forth like that it might’ve been better. Or better still they should’ve just used the damn babysitting service. The kids were what, 2 and 3? I don’t know about you, but when I was 2 I was thinking about how my nappy was overflowing, not about perfecting my kung fu moves in the case of an intruder entering. Anyway, I hope she’s ok and stuff. The parents are stupid. I hope the Pope tells them that at their Papal visit.
28 May at 12:10 am
I couldn’t agree more. A few friends and I were ‘talking’ (ok, maybe we were screaming.) about it, and I swear if the police had’ve come by we’d have been arrested. You just don’t leave a (or three) child of that age alone AT ALL. It’s totally their fault, and it serves them right. Of course I hope she’s alive… but for her own sake and certainly not her parents piece of mind. They deserve everything that they’ve got. Amelie, if that is true (which I hope isn’t as that would just be a sick plot to have pulled), then something should be, and I hope would be, done to stop her parents ever seeing her again.
28 May at 12:18 am
Canada = Moon.
28 May at 12:19 am
Oh wait, never mind. I did hear about that. Darn. Now my moon joke isn’t funny :(
28 May at 1:38 am
Our news over here hasn’t said ANYTHING about it. I only found out about it because someone linked to an article on a message board. May the parents suffer for the rest of their lives because of this, though.
28 May at 2:02 am
May be my site can help you in getting more information about Madeleine McCann’s abdcution. I’m a freelance journalist and I spend a week (until last Thursday) reporting from Praia da Luz. Regards, Paulo Reis pjcv.reis@gmail.com
28 May at 2:11 am
See this is why I’m all for sterilization! At least in certain cases, ok not really but there should be some sort of test before you have kids because I know far too many idiots who have kids when they shouldn’t (lack of funds and general retardedness). I sincerely hope that little girl is alive, and that her parents are punished for this. Unfortunately they probably won’t be because that’s the way the world works. God willing they’ll get their little girl back and they’ll go on being neglectful :\ I’m not entirely certain I should have children, my plans are to keep them tied to me at all times and when I can’t do that into the basement they go! I worry far too much about other peoples wellbeing, I can’t really imagine myself with kids to take care of.
28 May at 2:50 am
You know I agree. :)
28 May at 3:15 am
Finally, someone else agrees. I do hope Madeline is ok and everything, but WHY would anyone leave their kids unattended, especially for half an hour/ an hour at a time. I’ve been to the same area of Portugal with my family (and three younger siblings)….the thought of it happening to one of my siblings makes me feel sick…but luckily we wern’t stupid enough to leave them on their own while we were off enjoying ourselves….
28 May at 3:19 am
Where I am,the big news is about a school age boy whom was murdered.And about people refusing to give details about the crime due to a racial thing. Anyways,from what I’m hearing of your brief rant,the kidnapping was obviously because of a lack of parental supervision.And I would agree.Leaving three (helpless might I add)babies alone,is as logical as yelling,”Hey,you!come here and snatch the baby!” Despite the parents’ horrid tactics,the resort should’ve had better security. But ultmately,I’m hoping Madeleine is alright.
28 May at 3:22 am
I was thinking that I was the only person who thought this. whilst everyone is saying “oh I feel so sorry for them” etc, all I can say is that they were irresponsible parents. No parent would leave a child in a room whilst eating at a restaurant, in a country they had never been to. If I was in another country with a child I would not trust anyone, and leaving them alone in a room is the last thing I would do. I said this to my friends, and they thought I was being harsh and cruel. But it simply comes down to irresponsible parenting full stop.
28 May at 4:52 am
Agree’d but atleast sight the fact that you have to be some kind of sick person to go and steal another persons children. The parents im sure have learnt their lesson by now, those children stolen aren’t just ‘things’ it’s their flesh and blood they made a poor choice and are suffering as a result of it. I’m certain that away from the media they know they screwed up and if their children return they wont make the same mistake again.
28 May at 5:31 am
What I find so odd about the news circulating worldwide, is that the media acts as if child abductions never happen. Why this kid?
28 May at 6:54 am
Well I just got back from the moon. That’s awful, awful parenting… I pray Madeleine is safe… :( And just to add, I personally believe that a parenting class should be mandatory in everyone’s education. I mean we all have to go through trigonometry and chemistry, 2 subjects that most people will never EVER use, (and the bits they will use they’ll have learnt outside the classroom like on NatGeo, work training or plain experience) so why not have a class where you learn real life life skills like parenting? Ok not everyone will be parents, but that’s not the point is it? It’s not an area of life that you can leave people to find out for themselves because stupid mistakes in parenting can have terrible consequences.
28 May at 9:08 am
I can’t help but agree with you Jem, The mother appears to be so calm and collected in the interviews on telly, almost as if she knew the child was unharmed and quite safe. She did not appear to me to be at all concerned about it all. I think if that were me, and it was my baby that had been snatched i would be out of my mind with worry. I remember once when my eldest and his younger sibling and i went shopping( they were aged 3 and 12 months then), I was in the shop with both just about to pay, i let go of his hand for two seconds to pay for the shopping, and when i went to take his hand again to leave the shop he was gone! I ran out of the shop with my heart pounding, frantic to find him. Fortunately, he was less than 100 yards away looking in another shop window but i was so relieved that he was safe that i burst into tears when i ran up to him and took his hand. That moment was a few seconds from his escape to my finding him, and yet it felt like years to me. It took me til the rest of the day to stop shaking and from that day on i never went shopping with my children again unless it was just one. They were left at home with either their father or older siblings. I cannot perceive how any mother could leave her babies unattended locked in a room while she enjoyed herself elsewhere. In my opinion if you choose to have children you should be fully prepared to put your own life/fun/outings etc on hold until such time as they are old enough to accompany you, or be left with suitable babysitters.
28 May at 9:12 am
Some newspapers are saying that the room wasn’t even locked…
28 May at 9:15 am
Then if that is the case, she deserved to lose her kiddy (I pray that she is safe)
28 May at 9:46 am
Yes I agree, no children should be left alone, despite regular checkings or direct views from the parents. People should learn from other’s mistakes or misfortunes. Despite what I think about this situation I do hope for Madeline’s safety. I was wondering about that too.
28 May at 9:52 am
I actually agree with you for once, Jem. I’ve read in a few media sources that the door to the balcony was left unlocked. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t actually a case of kidnapping, but rather that the child fell to her death off the apartment’s balcony. Why is this little girl so special when too many children (and adults) go missing every day? What about the “disappeared” in Middle Eastern countries? Does anyone ask about those people?
28 May at 10:00 am
@Jordan: Pretty Little White Girl Syndrome. I couldn’t agree more with you Jem. They are incompetent and shouldn’t have left their kids alone. One day the press will turn on them (if you use the press, the press will use you), and I think it’s beginning to happen now (Playing a video at the FA Cup final? Please). Public are beginning to lose interest now. They have only themselves to blame. I mean, it’s in the Algarve, next to one of the most dangerous tidal waters in Europe (they actively encourage you to swim in the swimming pools there). What’s to say she didn’t walk out of the hotel, and fallen into the sea? Then what’d happen? That being said, I do hope she’s found safe?
28 May at 11:14 am
I’m also keeping an open mind about this. Following up on the news and alternative sources. If you check http://www.brianspredictions.com, you’ll see that he has been accurate about a lot of missing people cases. According to him, Madeleine is also safe and still in Portugal, not far away from where she was kidnapped. He says that the Portuguese police know exactly where Madeleine is. He says that the British police should send the dogs and she will be found. He says not to trust the Portuguese police as they are trying to cover up something. This is getting really scary now. I hope somebody finds her soon.
28 May at 11:15 am
Couldn’t agree more, it’s so very annoying to hear their great martyrdom. Yeah, it’s a horrible thing, but the parents have to take the blame.
28 May at 12:03 pm
My blog before last was about this and I completely agree with you. Even my school had posters up and so do shops saying “Find Madeline”, which is fair enough but I need a break from seeing it all! It’s TOO MUCH. Also, her parent’s are completely at fault and I’ve said it from the beginning, they don’t deserve any sympathy and they need to stop all this crap with interviews in papers and such and continue looking for that little girl. It’s still the front page of EVERY paper :(
28 May at 12:27 pm
Again, I thought I was the only one who thought this, and I’m glad that this isn’t the case. It disgusts me how the parents are getting sympathy for it. It’s awful having a child abducted, I’m not saying it isn’t, but you don’t just leave your 4 year old alone. They had kids even younger! It’s so irresponsible, but in fact it’s typical of ‘Brits Abroad’. When I go on holiday, I see that everyone just lets their kids run wild and expects them to automatically be safe because it’s all happy and holiday-time. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I do hope that she is found, but why should they have the right to keep their children when they left them alone in a foreign country. Not speaking the language, not knowing where anything is… It’s just disgusting and I hate how the media only pick up on a few abduction cases when they can see a profit in it. Think of how traumatised this kid is going to be if they find her. Why would you do that to someone?
28 May at 1:25 pm
they left the bloody doors open too! Though that was only mentioned in early newspaper reports.
28 May at 1:41 pm
^ And they wonder why the child went missing?! They’re more stupid than I thought.
28 May at 1:45 pm
@ Kirsty As much as it may be the parents fault, I can’t help but feel that the above statement is way to harsh. I am sure that the guilt alone should be enough of a punishment for any parent who has lost their child. I would love to see Madeleine brought home to the UK alive, and I’m sure that on a very large scale, the parents have “learnt their lesson”.
28 May at 1:48 pm
Call my cynical, but I think she’s dead.
28 May at 1:49 pm
Rose, I was going to say: this was on the news a long time ago.
28 May at 1:50 pm
Thank you for opening your mouth to say (or using your hands to type) this. I’ve been wanting to say this for a while but I’ve never had the guts to. I’m thankful that there are people out there who also feel this way.
28 May at 1:53 pm
I think there is something very fishy about the whole thing. The parents appear to have ice water running through their viens. Lets face it, if it was my little one I would be in hospital under sedation. And surely the local police cant be as stupid as they appear to be.
28 May at 1:57 pm
@Rachael: Me too…
28 May at 2:12 pm
I hope of course that the little girl will be found alive and returned to her parents. If not for their sake – then for hers. I think the parents have been punished enough – I sure hope they have learned a lesson.
28 May at 2:27 pm
Here in Canada, I actually haven’t heard too much about this outside of internet sources. However, if Canada were directly involved, I suspect that the amount of coverage would equal that of the UK’s current coverage. That being said, it does make me wonder why this child is getting so much extra attention. “Pretty white girl” syndrome? Maybe. But even then, I’m sure there are a number of pretty white girls kidnapped who don’t get this much attention, and also don’t get celebrities offering large sums of money for the child’s return. I think it is more to do with the fact that the kidnapping occurred in a foreign country. I’ll add my kudos to Jem for pointing out that this kidnapping was neglect. I don’t care if the hotel room was next door to the restaurant, there is no way that these children should have been left alone for half hour periods. I doubt the parents would have done something like that back at home (or maybe they would if they were willing to do it in Portugal) so why do it in a place you are not familiar with?
28 May at 2:46 pm
I’ll betcha my life savings if she was a little black girl the story would be much smaller and the parents would be up on charges right now.
28 May at 2:51 pm
This just proves that America doesn’t hear much outside news. I feel sorry for the little girl. No child should be left alone until they are old enough to properly care for themselves without the parent worrying. Eg. in their teens. If the parents didn’t worry, then something is obviously wrong with them. However, I don’t feel that people should automatically say “they deserved it.” It probably was an awful mistake. Their fault and neglect, yes, but a mistake just the same. If Madeleine dies or is damaged in any way (mentally or physically), they will also suffer if they are parents at all.
28 May at 2:55 pm
Yes. The British tabloids have adopted the story as an excuse to bash Johnny Foreigner – in this case, the Portuguese police.
28 May at 3:07 pm
What is proving that? Especially when I’ve heard this on the radio here in Chicago, IL as well as a few news segments; I’d hardly call that “not hearing much outside news.” Granted, it’s normally about various wars, issues, and other government-affected items, it’s still hearing something regardless ya’no?
28 May at 3:09 pm
I have to completely disagree with the attitude (not necessarily from you, in general) that ‘Well duh, neglect, they deserve it’ – it was stupid, yes. But I would estimate about 99% of parents have been as stupid at some point. The way where they were was set up, even though they were not in their apartment with the kids they were literally just outside, it’s been likened to someone having dinner out in their back garden while the kids are upstairs asleep in the summer etc Unless people expect folks to literally watch their kids 24/7 I think the attitude is completely ignorant and/or they should fire scorn at every single parent on the planet. What I do agree with (again in general, not referring to this post specifically) is that the whole thing is getting far too much media attention, far far far too much. I don’t understand why this case is such a big deal when kids go missing all the time. I considered writing a blog about it myself, but decided against it as it just further adds to the hype and when I see others taking about it (celebs, blogs, whatever) I wonder about their motives, do they REALLY care or are they doing it just for the publicity/hits/comments etc?
28 May at 3:58 pm
@Starlet: I fail to see how it is AT ALL like having your tea outside while the kids sleep upstairs. For starters, if you’re in your own garden and your kid cries out, you’re likely to hear them — you’re not going to hear your child crying if you’re sitting halfway across a holiday resort. Secondly, I’ve never met a parent that leaves their child alone upstairs without some sort of plug-in baby monitor — again, something that they didn’t have. At the end of the day, saying “ooh, it was a mistake” afterwards doesn’t justify the crime. If that were the case our jails would be empty.
28 May at 4:03 pm
these conspiracy theories do make me wonder though. The fact witnesses say that when Kate ran into the bar she said to Gerry “They’ve taken her?” and not the usual “someones taken Madeleine” stuff.
28 May at 5:35 pm
She disappeared in my country… You wouldn’t believe how portuguese people reacted to this. Have you ever heard of Fatima? It’s a place in Portugal where Virgin Mary supposedly appeared some decades ago. Anyway, lots of people go there every year to pray and this year everyone was praying for that kid. People were crying and showing her picture like she was the only missing kid in the world. I mean, it’s not like there are hundreds of missing kids, oh no. They’re completely mad to just leave the three kids like that. Now everyone pities them like they’re Super Parents but I agree with you, they should be taken to court.
28 May at 5:56 pm
I find the entire situation suspect. First of all, the parents are guilty of a crime; Neglect isn’t something to be taken lightly, and I think they should be charged accordingly. I have more thoughts on this, but others have already touched on them… What I’d like to know, at least with regard to American media, is whether this case is getting so much attention because it involves a “pretty little white girl”, or if it’s due to the insane actions by the parents. I hope it is the latter. One of the first things I heard about this really sticks out in my mind: The parents left their children alone because they didn’t want strangers looking after them. “WTF?” was my initial reaction. And that was before I knew they were staying at a resort(!) that offers child sitting services. If you don’t want your kids with you while you’re on vacation, leave them home. Considering how idiotic these parents are, I should be more specific. Leave them home with trusted individuals to care for them.
28 May at 6:50 pm
“You just don’t expect in a million years that this could happen.” What a stupid thing to say? Of course that could happen, leaving your children alone? I hope the kid is still alive, even though I want her parents to suffer. In my own opinion, the parents should be arrested. They don’t deserve a child, they do not even know how to take care of one.
28 May at 7:21 pm
Just not alone. ;)
28 May at 9:26 pm
I think I’ve heard a little snippet of it somewhere, but this is the first time I’ve ever read about it.
28 May at 9:32 pm
We haven’t been badgered with the story as much here in the US (we’re too caught up with stories about our stupid Iraq War, which is now a lot of other countries’ problem too, but I won’t go on), but I said all of those things right when I heard the story. If you’re going to leave children in a room alone, one of them needs to be at least sixteen.
29 May at 1:02 am
OMG I agree it’s nice to see someone saying what they think on this! I often think if I speak my mind on it people are gonna shoot me down but now I’m not so sure lol But I have to agree with you no one in their RIGHT mind would leave kids that young alone. I don’t have kids but I sure as hell wouldn’t even if it was only next door. I just would like to know how long we have to put up with it on the news like it’s so much important than Iraq and the killing of Soilders and Darfur where people are suffering from no fault of their own when it isn’t!
29 May at 2:05 am
That’s stretching it much too far. Last I heard, somebody has to be at least 12 years old to be able to legally stay home alone (in the US). I’m 14, I’ve stayed home alone thousands of times, and I have certainly been in a room alone before. That is ridiculous on so many levels. Even though I agree that if the parents had hired a babysitter or hadn’t gone to have dinner, this would’ve never happened, I completely disagree that they do not deserve to be parents and that they deserve to suffer. I remember my parents once went to the lobby to have a drink and listen to the band while me and my sisters stayed in the room. Me and my sister were 8, my older sister was 10. They were only down for 20 minutes and left us a cell phone. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. ‘Half-hourly checks’? Gosh, it surprises me that they’d even stay out for half an hour. Why not just get take out and bring it to the hotel room?
29 May at 2:44 am
The parents are now angling for an audience with the Pope. Gag me.
29 May at 3:39 am
I’m kind of surprised at the comments here. Yes, it was a pretty irresponsible thing for the parents to do, but does that really mean they deserved to have their child kidnapped? I don’t understand the reasoning behind this. Certainly, they do hold some blame (and they do probably feel really guilty about it now), but there are people much more blameworthy in this situation. I’ve never been to Portugal so I don’t know what hotels and the safety there are like, but when my family goes on vacation I usually think my hotel room is safer than my house. The parents probably didn’t think someone would break through a locked door in what they deemed to be a safe hotel. I can completely understand their reasoning here. So idk, I’m pretty torn. They did something stupid, but then I can understand why and it’s not that far from the norm, I don’t think. But on a different note, I really am appalled at the level of media attention this is getting. How many children go missing a year? I can’t help but feel this is really unfair. Just because it happened in a foreign country? idk, idk. And an audience with the pope? Ridiculous.
29 May at 8:05 am
@Carina: There’s a difference between leaving two 8 years and a 10 year old, and leaving two 2 year olds and a 3 year old. At the age of 2 and 3, children still wake up in the night, scared and screaming. At the age of 2 and 3, children are just old enough to get up and wander about but not old enough to assess the danger they’re putting themselves in. Those kids could have done anything while they were left alone – and I would expect two DOCTORS of all people to know and understand that, which is why I stand by my statement that they don’t deserve those children. As for the ‘half-hourly checks’ – it clearly wasn’t, because it was 45 minutes between the last check and the check where they discovered the little girl was missing. @Belinda: the door wasn’t locked.
29 May at 8:13 am
Belinda, I don’t think anybody actually said they deserve it, just that it was their fault she was put in this situation in the first place.
29 May at 2:56 pm
This is a world where you can’t let your children play in the front yard of your own home unsupervised, and they left these little children alone in a hotel in a foreign country. Complete neglect. And usually if they don’t find the girl in a month (more like the first 2 weeks) there’s little chance they’ll find her alive if at all.
29 May at 5:48 pm
I, for one, think it’s the kidnappers’ fault. I don’t think a victim of a crime should be to blame for someone else’s criminal actions even if they make themselves an easy marks…. Does a woman deserve to be raped or assaulted if she decides to go for a walk at 4AM in the morning dresses provocatively. Yea, it might be a stupid idea on her part, but it should be something that she should be able to do without the fear of repercussions. If I leave my door unlocked, I shouldn’t to blame for a criminal breaking into my house, etc, etc. Where’s the logic behind this train of though? Yea, it was a mistake on their part for leaving the child alone; however, in all reality, that’s something that they should be able to do without having to worry about some idiot taking their child. I have a 1 year old and have ran to my car to retrieve something (leaving the door unlocked) while she was asleep. Am I guilty of neglect if my daughter was kidnapped within the 2-3 mins. that I had my back turned? I’m sure this was the case with the parents. They put the child to bed and maybe decided to be away for mins. all the while within view of the hotel room. I don’t see it as being neglect or their fault because some else broke the law. If they left for hours and/or weren’t within few yards or sight of the hotel room, maybe I would see this as being neglect.
29 May at 7:22 pm
@Donnie: Of course, I agree – ultimately it’s the fault of the person committing the crime. However, child neglect IS a crime and I believe the parents are guilty of that. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect society, and the apartment was NOT within a “few” yards of the restaurant. Those parents left tiny children in an unlocked hotel room, with nobody to cry to or run to should they wake for whatever reason (not like if you were running to your car, whereby it’s likely you would hear your child cry out). They weren’t checking every half-hour despite claims made by some newspapers and they weren’t poor individuals that couldn’t afford available babysitting. There were so many options available to that couple that they CHOSE not to take and I believe it’s that choice that puts guilt & blame on their shoulders.
29 May at 7:44 pm
Whilst I would never personally leave my child in an apartment unsupervised – whether it be for 10 minutes or 10 hours – I don’t believe that they’ve been neglectful. You state that the apartment was not within a few yards, but that’s not the reports that I’ve heard; to me, it seems as though the restaurant was no further away than a decent sized back garden. We’ll clearly have to agree to disagree, but from what I’ve heard (to date) I believe that they’ve been inordinately stupid, greedy and selfish but not neglectful. V xx
29 May at 8:04 pm
Sorry to double comment but just wanted to pick up Sar on the following: When I go on holiday, I see that everyone just lets their kids run wild and expects them to automatically be safe Please don’t stereotype/whitewash ‘everyone’. I can guarantee you that I have never permitted my son to run wild anywhere, here or abroad. V xx
29 May at 8:29 pm
Well, I do feel that the parents were neglectful. And I don’t see why this is getting so much attention. However, I don’t think it’s right to say, “Well, they deserve it. They weren’t good parents.” I mean, sure, they left their kids alone. However, there are parents far worse. They don’t really deserve this ridiculous amount of media attention, but they also don’t deserve to be told that they fail at life. Also: http://www.snafu-comics.com/?strip_id=202 Canada joke is fix’d.
29 May at 8:47 pm
@ Jem & Vixx First off, let me say that I’m one of those people who have been on the moon this past month and has never heard of the kidnapping until I read it here… That or maybe because it’s not that big of a story here in the US, so I’m basically going off of the comments I’ve read. I think everyone agrees that it was a stupid decision on the part of the parents. I think the disagreement comes about when the parents are blamed for it. I blame them for a lapse in judgement and being idiots, but I don’t blame them for the kidnapping. Going back to what Starlet’s comment (http://tinyurl.com/2y2y7l), no parent is perfect. Every parent at one time or another has knowingly or unknowingly put there child in a situation that could have gone bad but luckily didn’t. It could have been from something as drastic as what Madeleine’s parent did or something very simple. I’m sure in hindsight that the parents know how stupid their actions were. I have to believe that they love the child very much and never would have thought that something like this would have happened. I doubt that they would have done what they did if they thought that the child was in any danger at all. I’m guess that it never crossed their minds. Like Vixx I would have to agree that this isn’t neglect. I may go as far as saying it’s child endangerment however.
29 May at 11:05 pm
That’s exactly what I said when I heard about it. I thought, yes that’s very very upsetting and I hope she’s alright… but how did they get her and why wasn’t anyone watching??
30 May at 1:17 pm
I agree that they neglected their children’s safety. I don’t understand how parents can do that. But I agree with Donnie, and saying that they’re incompetent and don’t deserve parents is just plain mean…
30 May at 5:53 pm
I’m portuguese and I’ve been following this case. I just hope that the child can be found safe and be held back to its family. Besides that, which is all that matters, I also wish that the comments concerning this situation would be less judgemental about Madeleine’s parents. Like in UBUNTU – humanity for all!
31 May at 1:28 pm
Contrary to what seems to be a popular belief, this story IS getting a ton of attention from the US media. However, it isn’t on the typical small-town news stations. Every time I change the channel and go past CNN, Headline News, Fox News…basically any other news channel that isn’t local…I see something about this little girl. I’ve actually seen more on this story than I have on the war in Iraq. I hope the little girl is safe, but if this isn’t a conspiracy, then the media is doing far more harm than good. Her captors are probably watching the news as well, and are probably taking into consideration the amount of publicity and monetary donations. I also think that the widespread publicity will result in an “outbreak” of “pretty little white girl” kidnappings. I remember this happening a few years back, and it seemed like every little rich white girl was being kidnapped. I feel the same way about school shootings and such. All the publicity makes the shooter appear as if he/she is a hero, and then there is an “outbreak” of school shootings.
31 May at 7:53 pm
What sort of parents leave three children under three alone, let alone in a foreign country? Had they not been doctors and were claiming benefits their names would have been mud.
01 Jun at 1:34 pm
How about also blaming the sick person that has abducted Madeleine? Have we forgotten about that? Whether you condemn the parents or not for their lack of judgement, they are going to have to live with this for the rest of their life….. I’ve had kids and wouldn’t have done the same….but I’ve had a few fleeting moments on a crowded beach when I thought that my daughter was lost and can remember the panic I felt.
01 Jun at 7:34 pm
As the parent of a 3 year old, soon turning 4 in 2 weeks, I can both understand the parents believing their kids were ok at that distance alone AND be appalled that they actualy DID leave 3 toddlers alone like that at all. Here at home I may very well leave my daughter sleeping in her room to walk the 100 yards it takes to get to our “burn pile” for a bonfire while going back inside every 15 minutes to check on her but I would never leave her alone like that in a foreign country! I understand that they may very have thought the hotel was as safe as their own home and maybe they knew their children well enough to believe they wouldn’t wake at night afraid and looking for them… (mine quit doing that at the age of 1 but everyone’s children are different) but they should have had better judgement on the simple fact that they were NOT at home. While I think they should be fined an outrageous fee and smacked on the hands, I don’t think they should be tarred and feathered and drug through the city streets to be stoned. Neglectful in a way yes, but neglectful as in bad parenting of people that shouldn’t have been parents in the first place, no way. I do feel for them, even if I think them a couple of the dumbest parents in the world.
01 Jun at 9:08 pm
I totally agree! I have two kids of my own, but hell no if I should leave them alone while they were sleeping!
02 Jun at 12:34 pm
I feel for the parents. Being a parent of 2 myself I don’t know what I would do. As much as I feel for the parents, I have to say they are very much at fault. I have a 10 year old and a 4 year old and I still will not leave them alone at night even to run to the store, and I know my 10 year old knows how to dail 911. There is something really wrong with these parents. How dare they leave 3 little babies alone. I wish a safe return for that little girl, but when and if that child is returned, I think the parents should go to parenting classes because they need them.
03 Jun at 6:04 pm
I totaly agree with everything that you have stated. I think that the twins should be taken from them before they leave them alone and go out on the piss again. It’s pure neglect. I have young children myself and would never dream of leaving them alone anywhere.
05 Jun at 2:43 am
AMEN BROTHER!!!!! I FIND IT UNBELIEVABLE THAT THIS STORY HAS BEEN ON JUST ABOUT EVERY CHANNEL FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME AND NOT ONCE DID I HEAR THE NOTION THAT THIS WAS VERY OBVIOUSLY NEGLECT. EITHER THE MEDIA IS STUPID OR THEY THINK THAT THEIR VIEWERS ARE STUPID ALONG WITH THESE PARENTS MUST HAVE CONNECTIONS AND/OR MONEY. THE TIME HAS COME WHEN WE NOW KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT WE(THE PEOPLE) ARE INDEED BE PLAYED FOR FOOLS BY THE WEALTHY AND CONNECTED. THIS IS THE PROOF. IT MUST OF BEEN A WHOLE WEEK THAT THIS SYMPATHETIC MEDIA HAS BEEN BLUBBERING ON ABOUT HOW AWFUL THIS MUST BE FOR THE PARENTS WITHOUT ONCE ENTERTAINING THE OBVIOUS NOTION OF NEGLECT. WE ARE LIVING IN SAD TIMES FOLKS. WE HAVE TO NOW KNOW THAT ITS THE SO-CALLED BLUE-BLOODS AGAINST US PEASANTS. ITS ALSO AMAZING THAT WHEN I WAS ON MYSPACE YESTERDAY, SOME GIRL HAD THIS MISSING MADELIENE AD. ON HER PAGE AND I THOUGHT, WHAT ABOUT THE HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF MISSING CHILDREN CASES EACH YEAR THAT NEVER EVEN REACH NATIONAL NEWS COVERAGE LET ALONE INTERNATIONAL LIKE THIS DISPICABLE CASE.
09 Jun at 11:17 am
i blame the parents wholeheartedly. how dare they leave three little children alone and defenceless in a strange room while they enjoy themselves. disgusting!! i pray that little girl is in the hands of someone who thought she deserved better parents, and i firmly believe the mccanns should be charged for neglect. i have no sympathy for them. they are both doctors on good salaries who could have made use of babysitting services. all i can say is if that were my child, i would be sedated, and certainly not out and about as the mccanns seem to be.
10 Jun at 5:08 pm
i totally agree with u all. it was so wrong for her pearents to leave her like this. A lot of people think that neglect only happened in poor households then what about this. i agree with this so much that im even writting an english essay based on this.
25 Jun at 11:08 am
I think it is entirely the parents fault. You do not leave 3 small children alone in a room and go out for dinner. I hope little Madeleine will be found alive and that the parents go in front of Justice when they return to England. Parents like that should not have children.
22 Jan at 12:07 am
Reading through all of these comments I think everyone has a good point. But has no one thought that if witnesses said that Kate said “They’ve taken her?” when she ran back into the bar then maybe for that reaction there was some threat before of Madeline being taken before…? Course they could have been in some situation and having the threat of having Madeline taken away because of something they had done. Theres a lot of stuff like that which go on, how ever ridiculous it sounds really but still! Kidnapping, if they had been away from the hotel room and were going back and fourth… Isn’t that a tad OBVIOUS that they have left the children in there, right? ANYONE could be watching their every move and work out themselves that they were coming every 30 minutes or so. Enough time to kidnap a child obviously. Who’s to say that the parents didn’t do/help the kidnapping anyway? Considering there hasn’t been anyone actually found yet and there is a big possibility it was them! To be honest, who ever has taken her away from her family is horrible, shes only a little girl and god knows what could happen to her! Its so stupid of her parents to have left 3 little children in an unlocked hotel room in a foreign country! I wouldn’t class them as good parents to do that at all. I also think its fishy how Kate isn’t reacting the way any other parent would if they were to loose their child, I reckon theres more than just the random kidnapping to this!!! BUT… I hope shes okay and unharmed but if she is actually still alive then the memories of her kidnapping aren’t going to go away easily which would be horrible for her to live with! :|
01 Sep at 7:06 pm
[…] how back in May last year I told you all that I thought that the Madeleine McCann kidnapping was neglect? Apparently the majority of you agreed with me. I’m sure there were others around the country […]