are Kate and Gerry McCann responsible parents?

[Alfiesmummy]

a mistake is forgetting to shut your freezer and it defrosting ... thats a mistake, i dont think you can put it into the same group leaving your twin 2 year olds and your 3 year old unattended in an unlocked room BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION (sun interview couple weeks back)

 

[Freya]

Very good question and very difficult to answer I honestly don't know.

 

[Vicki83]

I know it's probably been said a thousand times by now, but in all honesty if that was a single mum who had left her kids or a working class family there would have been uproar about them being unresponsible parents but because they are doctors and a well off family nothing has been said or the point raised.

On the other hand knowng that they were mainly to blame for her disappearance because they did leave their kids alone, i suppose they must be punishing themselves enough.

 

[Freya]

I agree Steph that mistake wasn't the best word to use but I think you know what I mean by that. Although they left them if they had known for one second that this would happen I honestly don't think they would have left them.

Gosh I waffle.

 

[Dee1985]

can any one find the birds eye view picture of the lay out of the hotel?? i have seen it on the news loads of times

its really far away!!!!
but i cant find it on the net

 

[Freya]

Can I ask why people think they would be more persecuted if they were single parents OR working class parents. When I first heard the story I didn't know they were doctor (I am not sure when that detail came out) but I didn't think 'oh they must be working class - they deserve it'
My view and I speak only for myself is that I would have felt sorry for them 'whaterver their class, race etc.'

In fact wasn't Sara Paynes family working class I felt no more or no less sorry for them than I do the McCanns.

Do you feel then that you can't feel sorry for them because they have had preferential treatment (even though daughter was taken) because they are middle class!!

 

[Vicki83]

Well personally i just think that as a nation single parents/working class families, etc will always be treated as 2nd class citizens.

 

[Alfiesmummy]

no of course i dont think they would but as a parent they had a responsibility to eavh of their children and faiued each of them.
lets think of the twins in this too ... they ahvent been mentioned alot, because their mothers and fathers neglectfulness they have to grow up without a sister ... a sister they no doubt loved very much, they were also in that roiom when madi was taken, they for all we know may have seen it all, may have been wide awake and watched as someone carried their sister away, and whose to say that the person didnt even try take them, bundle them up and try take them away but couldnt carry three of them, maybe couldnt carry 2 because madi was struggling so much they had to go quick. what about them?

 

[Dee1985]

some one said that the appartment was not far away and some people have gardens the same size!

i seen the map and it looks really far away

and there are loads of trees too blocking all view

its no comparison to hanging your washing out in the garden

 

[Alfiesmummy]

some one said that the appartment was not far away and some people have gardens the same size!

i seen the map and it looks really far away

and there are loads of trees too blocking all view

its no comparison to hanging your washing out in the garden

says it all doesnt it really

we could sit here all night and throw stones back and forth who thinks who is right etc but the facts still remained that the parents of madi left her and her brother and sister alone in a room, that was unlocked, that wasnt in eyesight if the restaurant, someone took madi and the parents were NOT there to attempt to protect her, they didnt chek on the children for 50 minutes at one point!

people say they are suffering enouyght i agree they must be suffering because any parent would! however had they been in this country it is a facty that if they did the same thing then social services would be involved. Tragic as it is yes i believe that they should be involved as they put the welfare of their children at risk.

there is only one person in the world that knows the full extent of their carelessness and irresponsibility and thats madi, because at the end of the day they dont know whats happened to that little girl and i do believ that in one respect ignorance is bliss.

I sympathise with them in so much they have lost their daughter ... but i believe they have their part in the blame as they wouldnt protect her.

 

[Freya]

Good morning
I agree we could debate this back and forth (I hope I haven't thrown any stones don't think I have )
Best just to agree to disagree - you will never change my mind and I will never change yours As long as we both truly believe what we are saying.

Must say though Madelaines mum looks skeletal at the moment just seen her on the news

 

[Sammystar]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, ... 46,00.html

The unfailing resolve of these parents and their ability to remain positive after such a long time amazes me. That they have somehow found the strength to mobilise such a huge campaign is amazing. I don't follow any particular faith, but I can see that their strong belief in the Catholic religion is helping them enormously.

I could never and would never sit in judgement of these people. I believe they made a terrible mistake which they must deal with now for the rest of their lives. How anybody could honestly say they would look Kate Mcgann in the eye right now and tell her she's a bad parent sickens me to be honest.
By making such harsh and judgmental statements you are putting yourselfs up on one hell of a high pedastel. I hope to goodness you never fall of it, it's a long way down.

We all try our best as parents. I for one can say I'm NOT perfect. I feel secure enough in my environment that I let my kids play out with the neighbours without constant supervision. I've been known to leave the kids locked in the car when I nipped into the post office. As they get older I will try to give them more freedom, try to instil common sense into them without putting the fear of God into them. It's so difficult to strike the right balance. We all do our best.

Slagging off the Mcganns won't help that poor little girl. The fact is she's gone. They felt it was safe to leave her sleeping, as so many other parents in that resort did. They were wrong. It was a terrible, terrible mistake. Nobody in this thread has suggested they feel more sorry for the parents than for Maddie. Not one of us. We all agree she's the one who's paid the ultimate price. And the majority of us agree that the parents have been punished enough.

Maybe the media have been 'forgiving'. I feel it's because of the stregth of the campaign the Mcganns have raised. I'm not sure what will happen if she's not found though, when the dust settles and the Mcganns return to the UK. Let's see how the media report it then.........

God bless Maddie.

 

[Alfiesmummy]

Ok so Ill get my bag and coat now whilst alfies in bed leave all the doors unlocked and nip out to the pub shall i (too early but not the point)

I mean why not, the pub is about 50 meters away if i sit in the beer garden i can see my front door. Is it ok! no absoloutely not.

I do not put myself on a high pedestal but to be honest people who think its ok to leave there children alone in a house by themselves or in an apartment or whatever whilst they eat and drink and laugh without checking on them now that sickens ME!

nobody is saying for one second that these parents arent grieving but do you knot think that if they were there it wouldnt have happened? too little too late im sorry!

 

[Sammystar]

Did anybody say in this thread that they thought it was OK to leave kids at home and go to the pub??

Has anybody said they think what the Mcganns did was right??
Has anybody said they would have done that??? Check the poll, the answer is NO.

Maybe I've missed something but I think we all agree on that one.

We all know it was wrong. I just don't believe that the Mcganns should be punished, slagged off and vilified in this way.

 

[Alfiesmummy]

so they neglected their children put them in immediate danger and just abandoned them ... repeatedly may i add

because of this this made Madi and perhaps her siblings an easy target ... of their parents doing they made them that target

ok so because of their neglectfulness, irresponsibility their daughters gone missing and heartbreaking as that is because they are grieving thats enough punishment is it? oh thats ok then theyve lost a child because they werent there when as parents they should of been but never mind they are feeling the pain! wrong where are social services why arent police questioning them why they thought it ok to neglect their children!

Because no matter what anyone says they neglected their kids and just because they have lost a child through their own negligance does not meant they should bypass laws concerning child safety!

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Would you forgive someone who was looking after your child and whilst in their care they went missing? (I know circumstances are different) you say Maddys parents made a mistake would you feel the same if it were your child?

 

[Sammystar]

Would you forgive someone who was looking after your child and whilst in their care they went missing? (I know circumstances are different) you say Maddys parents made a mistake would you feel the same if it were your child?

It depends upon the circumstances I suppose. I just thank my lucky stars every day that this has not happened to me. My heart goes out to the Mcganns.
As Freya said we'll just have to agree to disagree. I cannot see sense in directing such venom towards these people when they are currently living through the worst experience imaginable.
I'm not saying they're above the law. I'm certainly not saying what they did was right.
I just think it's utterly futile to keep slagging them off like this.

I'll step out of this debate now!

 

[valentine]

I cannot see sense in directing such venom towards these people when they are currently living through the worst experience imaginable.
I'm not saying they're above the law. I'm certainly not saying what they did was right.
I just think it's utterly futile to keep slagging them off like this.

Agreed 100%

Valentine xxx

 

[mrs_tommo22]

I havent had a chance to speak up about this yet so let me have my bit and il bugger off.

I think they were highly irresponsable to leave 3 young children in a apartment on there own with checking every 30 mins when as a mum i know anything can happen in seconds.
I would be a liar to say my son was in sight 24/7 because he is not at all.When im on here he is in the garden playing by himself quite happily, but im secure in the knowledge that he is safe as the garden os very secure and the MIL dog would soon let me know if someone was coming in! I do check him every few mins and cal him in though sao i can check hes ok.

But the mcanns have paid the price as far as im concerned, though i wonder how they keep doing all these publicity stunts, i thought they would want to spend time with their remaining children and grieve in peace over everything thats happened.

 

[Minime]

Can I ask why people think they would be more persecuted if they were single parents OR working class parents. When I first heard the story I didn't know they were doctor (I am not sure when that detail came out) but I didn't think 'oh they must be working class - they deserve it'
My view and I speak only for myself is that I would have felt sorry for them 'whaterver their class, race etc.'

In fact wasn't Sara Paynes family working class I felt no more or no less sorry for them than I do the McCanns.

Do you feel then that you can't feel sorry for them because they have had preferential treatment (even though daughter was taken) because they are middle class!!

Nothing to do with that and Sara Payne wasn't alone, she was with her 13 year old brother and a sister and was of a much greater age and was out playing with them so that is of no real comparison.

The point is the parents of Madeline are being made to look almost saintly, how devoted they are to their children which no doubt they are BUT if this had involved a single working class parent then they would have been hammered and vilified in the press and NOT made out to be saintly nor had world tours. I'm pretty sure its to do with class here, its hypocricy. I'm not saying they deserve it at all, nobody deserves that but I'm talking about the press portrayal of the McCanns. What if the parents were on a package deal to Benidorm (as mentionned) and were catholic and working class, can you really see the pope giving them the time of day? Like