Mr McCann's sister, Patricia, a 47-year- old nurse from Glasgow, revealed: "There were eight of them there, all with kids, and every night they went out for a meal without them."
"they are all doctors"
"It was less than 40 yards away and they were all meticulous in checking them, it was just part of the routine.
"They felt it was better than leaving them with a babysitter as you don't know who you are going to get with a stranger."
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So a whole bunch of doctors leaving their kids behind ........ nice!!!
I also wish Ms McCann wouldnt blatanly lie. Less than 40 yards? Really? I'll take that bet with you that from where they were sitting to the front door of their apartment was more than 40 yards, and if you cant see it, what difference does it make?
And then this little gem.
"It's something we have all done at some point and you just don't expect anything like this to happen."
Uh NO! Its not something 'weve' all done. So stop generalizing!! Westie - True ....... but what else is there to discuss in the news? this has nothing to do with the education system. It is about selfishness and attitude. It is the old adage "it will never happen to us" attitude. There was a large group of people and it is beyond belief that they could not between them arrange some sort of baby sitiing rota to ensure all of the children were looked after and safe. This certain topic is becoming boring now. If everyone stops asking the same questions over and over again the interest will become stronger in this story. But as people are going on and on about the parents leaving their children alone, it is being killed off, and people are losing interest in it. All that we want is for Madeleine to be returned safe and well to her loved parents. I used to clean for a doctor (wife) and dentist (husband). House was disgusting, kids ran riot and they were weird.
So, the 3 other couples must be counting their lucky stars that it wasn't their kids taken.
Stupid.......... To quote what a family member said regarding the little girls parents and family. It's something we have all done at some point and you just don't expect anything like this to happen."
No I think when you leave young children alone you expect that to happen or other neglectful things such as
1 Stick something in their mouth and choke .
2 Burn themselves
3 Wake up frightened as no parent is there
4 Drown if they mess with the bath etc and fill it up .
5 Kidnapped
6 Murdered
7 sexually abused
How many more horrors can I think of that you would expect could happen when you leave very small children on their own.
This case just highlights what many more children go through on a regular basis . I work with neglected children and see how they are effected by parents who make " mistakes" . I`m sure you`ve posted this once. Stop telling us about the "I`ve never...." thing ! All of you ! No-one on yahoo answers world wide has ever left their kids on their own - ever - EXCEPT ME AND THE MCANNS ! Ok we know now !
Start a great parents club why don`t you ? Just stop spouting about what great parents you are ! No-one`s interested !! boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
zzzzzzzzzzzzz....................... yes i agree with Westie - im sick of everyone going on and on about it. its too late now for all this speculation.
i agree that they shouldnt have left them but thats the decision they made and they obviously felt it was the right one at the time! It's in Doctor's natures to be mean. They probably wanted to save money for their meal instead of paying for a babysitter.
Doctors are ruthless, uncaring individuals that think only of themselves and nobody else, not even their own kids. They should never be allowed to practice medicine again. What if they walk off in the middle of a surgery or cosultation to go and have tapas with their doctor friends?
That would be negligence of the highest order, why is it different for them to walk off and have tapas and leave 3 children?
Whats more...these people (if Maddy is found dead) should be found guilty of aiding and abetting the murderer, parents or not! Im sorry and i realise they have just lost there daughter but they are so irresponsible u do not leave your children in a hotel i have 3 children one is 9 the second is 14 and the third is 17 i wouldnt dream of leaving my kids in a hotel on there own especially not in a different country its ridiculous they wouldnt do it in england whats make them think they were capable of doing it on holiday and your right its not something we've all done some people aren't that stupid you dont do it frankly i think Mrs McCann must quite dense to think that leaving your children in a hotel room no matter how far away she was is an ok thing to do. Its not and now due to THEIR irresponsibility they have a missing daughter. First, to "Westie" - Maybe YOU'RE bored with the bad behavior of two people who aided in getting a wee little girl abducted, but some of us aren't. I think this point needs to be driven home to EVERY PARENT EVERYWHERE!! DON'T LEAVE YOUR WEE LITTLE CHILDREN HOME ALONE, DUNCE! ANYTHING can happen!!
I agree with this person. NO, we HAVE NOT "all done it"!! Funny. Parents use baby monitors because they don't even relish the idea of being in the other room of their own house -- they want to be able to at least HEAR their baby - but some idiot parents will actually be in different buildings than their wee little children, leaving them all alone (especially for something so dumb as a meal out!)?! Unbelievable! I don't give a flip who says we should shut up about this, or we should "stop judging," (wtf?!)!! As I said, this point needs to be driven home! I guess some people are just too stupid or selfish or negligent to understand that little babies and toddlers need constant care. No?! What a revelation! Firstly I agree that the focus should be on the safe return of this poor child and that focusing on what the parents did or didn't do is the wrong way to channel our energy.
That said, this article is rather thought provoking, make up your own minds.
Scenario 1: You have three children under 5. You go shopping at the supermarket for 20 minutes, leaving them asleep in their car seats with the doors unlocked to avoid their movements triggering the car alarm.
This scenario is not advisable. It is an offence under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to neglect or abandon a child under the age of 16 for whom a parent or carer has responsibility, but the law gives no detail of what amounts to neglect or abandonment. Prosecution and/or conviction depend largely on the circumstances. The punishment can range from a fine to ten years鈥?imprisonment.
The court is to likely to take into account the age and maturity of the child, for how long he or she was left alone and the arrangements to ensure his or her safety. Here, the children might get out of the car and wander on to the road 鈥?or anybody could remove a child from the car.
If the car doors were locked the children might be safer, but then what might happen if the children became very distressed in an enclosed space? Technically, children should not be left alone like that until they are 16. Five minutes might be acceptable in a locked car; 20 minutes is too long.
Scenario 2: You have 18-month old twins. You put them down for their afternoon nap in their cots, then dash down the road to get a pint of milk for a cup of tea. You are gone for less than ten minutes.
In this scenario, if the twins were asleep in cots and couldn鈥檛 get out, a parent might reasonably decide to leave them. If they were able to walk about 鈥?for instance, leaving a child of 6 awake and alone at home for ten minutes 鈥?it would be more problematic. You would need to worry not only about intruders but also about accidents; the possibility of a child burning some toast, for example, and starting a fire.
For a child of about 12 and above, it would depend largely on his or her maturity and factors such as whether he or she had been left at home alone before. Obviously it would be much better to have neighbours who could check up, and doors should be locked. I would never recommend leaving a child of any age for very long, but for children in cots, ten minutes is probably safe enough. I wouldn鈥檛 say this situation is desirable but it鈥檚 better than scenarios 1 and 3.
Scenario 3:You have three children aged 10, 8 and 6. You go out for dinner, leaving them in bed at home. You tell the eldest to ring you on your mobile if there are any problems.
This would be a real matter for concern. If the parents were out for dinner, they might easily be gone for a few hours. Even if this was for lunch and not for dinner (so in the middle of the day) it would still be highly undesirable.
If they were very close by and checking on the children often, the situation would be different 鈥?but leaving three children of that age alone for several hours would still be extremely unadvisable, as the potential risks are simply too great unless you can come back and check on them often.
Even if the eldest child could be relied on to use the phone, if the parent could not get back within 15 minutes there is a possibility that he or she might be charged with abandonment.
If a neighbour was there in case of emergency it would certainly be better, but because of the length of time involved it would still be very ill-advised.
Scenario 4:You go out for dinner in a hotel complex on holiday abroad, leaving a child aged 3 and twins aged 18 months in a locked room. You return to check on them every half hour.
If the parents have taken all the risks into account and decided that it is safe to leave the children, this would probably be reasonable. If the children were awake or a bit older and able to wander around, or potentially even to open the door to an intruder, perhaps not. But asleep, with the door locked and people constantly checking up on them, it is likely to be reasonable.
You should be checking on them very regularly. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 any less safe in Continental Europe than it is here. Leaving children alone in this manner is not desirable, but parents have to balance the demands of life and will probably have to consider such issues regularly.
A parent needs to ensure that children are safe if they are left alone. Leaving them for a short while, asleep, in a locked room with regular checks is acceptable. Leaving them for two hours, or with unlocked doors, is not. What's it got to do with the medical profession or education.
What if they were all sagger-makers' bottom-knockers? Yes, doctors, you'd expect them to have more sense!!!! How the hell would they have heard one of the children choking??? Bloody scandal I think. They should be prosecuted for child neglect when Maddie is found. Another scenario to consider.
I am in the back kitchen cooking dinner for my husband who is snoozing on the sofa.
My 3 small children are upstairs asleep.
Someone (God forbid) walks into my house and up the stairs completely unheard by me or my husband......
This scenario is so possible the way my house is set out that I lock the doors once everyone is in.
My point is, 2 seconds away or 50 yards away you CANT be with your children every second. Brainy people,no common sense never heard them once say "we shouldn't have left kids alone" never left my kids in case it could happen better than leaving them and waiting to see if it does. Every person I've spoke to wouldn't have left their kids either so is Mr McCanns sister trying to justify their actions cause if she is she is just as bad as them.If i was one of their patients i wouldn't trust a word they say.i just wish they would take some responsibility for their actions. But steph j above you said it yourself YOU LOCK THE DOOR. So you are taking precautions. If then a person breaks in and you didnt hear, you would not be vilified at all. The whole country would be terrified and would not speculate on why they wernt being looked after.
And in answer to question, Dave it does seem to be more than 40 yards. According to the NOTW a week ago it showed it was round a corner the door to appt! Its hardly the right time to be criticising the parents. | 