Why didn't the parents hire someone to watch the children?

[colomom]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

NEVER...not in a million years...jeeze, it took me until they were 10 and 8 before I even would leave them with a sitter and then it was only Grandma...and I gave her an earful about how precious they were to me and how I would die without them...

I childproofed every socket, gates at top and bottom of the stairs, locked every medicine cabinet and every drawer, lived with a child monitor on my hip for 7 years...

I have never been able to understand what the McCanns were thinking

.

 

[colomom]

God, NO! Not in a million years!

Hahahaha...great minds, Brefie!
:blowkiss:

 

[BethInAK]

I agree. It is possible that they took other vacations that were ALL about the kids and this one was more about the parents. Please do not take that to mean I don't STRONGLY condemn them for leaving children unattended. It's disgusting, absolutely. But I wonder if they preferred to have them along so they didn't have to go the whole time without seeing them at all, but, ultimately this was a grown up thing.

I could see myself doing a similar thing. If I could afford to, one vacay that's kids, kids, kids - no babysitters, a few days at a Disney resort or somewhere equally kid-great and ALL about kids....not even a hour for grown up time apart. And one more (oh, the luxury) with a known, trusted babysitter EVERY night (yeah, I said it!) but with them along so you don't miss each other too much, but it's really mommy and daddy time.

Then you bring a nanny on vacation or leave the children with their grandparents.

 

[poco]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

Heck, I have trouble leaving my dogs and doing that.................

 

[Brefie]

Then you bring a nanny on vacation or leave the children with their grandparents.

That's exactly what I said

 

[Brefie]

Hahahaha...great minds, Brefie!
:blowkiss:

:blowkiss: :blowkiss: :blowkiss: :blowkiss:

You got it!

 

[Brefie]

Heck, I have trouble leaving my dogs and doing that.................

OMG, when we got our dog (still a puppy) we left a bar with all our friends one night b/c Peter Puppy Pie MIGHT (small chance) be able to chew a cable we remembered he could get at. He didn't, of course, but they never let us forget it!!

We take the stick. How could we ignore the possibility??

 

[BethInAK]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

i have a two year old, and I would never consider doing any such thing. I have run out to the car, less than 20 feet from the front door a few times while he is in the CHILDPROOFED house.

To be honest, when the boy is asleep we generally stay upstairs in the bedrooms even. We dont' even like to be on a different floor.

 

[Show Me]

I think the McCanns are criminally neglectful leaving a 3 year old and babies alone.The McCanns didn't want a stranger (employee of the resort) to watch their kids, yet they were comfortable with the kids to be surrounded by strangers with only a breakable window between them?

What gets me is these two are doctors......supposedly intelligent enough not to leave their babies alone. Being with your friends in a house with the kids is not the same as leaving your children on the other side of the resort.

 

[SleuthMom]

I have never been able to understand what the McCanns were thinking

They were NOT thinking...that's the problem. And this is NOT a one case incident, they admitted leaving the children alone for a week every night while they went to the restaurant! Absolutely INSANE.

 

[sleuthin4fun]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

No never! Would have loved a quiet dinner without them but, I would have been a nervous wreck had we left them like that. No way I would have enjoyed it.

We are planning a vacation in the spring and my oldest who is 17 and a junior in high school will not be able to go because she is also taking classes at the local college. It makes me nervous to leave her with people we know and trust.

 

[englishleigh]

No never! Would have loved a quiet dinner without them but, I would have been a nervous wreck had we left them like that. No way I would have enjoyed it.

We are planning a vacation in the spring and my oldest who is 17 and a junior in high school will not be able to go because she is also taking classes at the local college. It makes me nervous to leave her with people we know and trust.

Heck, I might be flying to Ohio in November to visit my girlfriend again and I dread leaving my 3 kids, 14, 11 and 9 with my husband and my inlaws!! Not that they aren't wonderful, but something about a mom leaving her babies, you know? How Kate could leave her babies, who WERE babies, all alone in a strange apartment...I'll never be able to understand.

 

[Texana]

Heck, I might be flying to Ohio in November to visit my girlfriend again and I dread leaving my 3 kids, 14, 11 and 9 with my husband and my inlaws!! Not that they aren't wonderful, but something about a mom leaving her babies, you know? How Kate could leave her babies, who WERE babies, all alone in a strange apartment...I'll never be able to understand.

Me, neither, leaving them is so difficult.

Well, according to her, they never even considered that a predator might snatch a child out of her bed.

All the other possibilities seem to have been discounted as well.

Honestly? I think she felt certain they would sleep soundly.

 

[sleuthin4fun]

englisleigh- It is really hard no matter what age they are to leave them. If I had my way we wouldn't go but, my husband says "we are going." I even said I would stay home and the rest could go. "No deal" he says. I know that it will be a good time. I just seems so weird to plan a trip with her not included. I guess maybe it's time I let go a little. I will admit I am not good at it.
Heres a question, she will be 17. I had a breif thought of letting her stay at home by herself a few days. Thought that it would be nice for her because we live about 2 min. from her school. I am not sure that it is wise and, I would probably go crazy. What do you guys think?

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Heck, I might be flying to Ohio in November to visit my girlfriend again and I dread leaving my 3 kids, 14, 11 and 9 with my husband and my inlaws!! Not that they aren't wonderful, but something about a mom leaving her babies, you know? How Kate could leave her babies, who WERE babies, all alone in a strange apartment...I'll never be able to understand.

I had to travel to Hawaii for a trial some years back and was originally going to be gone for six weeks. My mother in law flew in from Germany to stay with my husband and kids. I ended up only being gone for three weeks, but it was the longest three weeks of my life!!! I'll never do that again. I was in paradise and didn't even enjoy it.

 

[CaliKid]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

Absolutely not. I had the advantage of built-in babysitters (grandparents, etc.), but if someone couldn't watch the children we stayed home.

I'm like alot of the rest of you. I spent the majority of my childhood on military bases and in safe neighborhoods. Out of the house at the crack of dawn, returning inside only after dark, coming back mostly for meals. My parents knew we were safe because the parents of our friends kept an eye on everyone else's children. It was perfectly acceptable to scold any neighbor kid who was playing in their yards.

 

[close_enough]

I just want to ask one question from my fellow sleuthers. Would you ever have left your toddlers alone to go out and eat dinner?

nope....

 

[CaliKid]

Then you bring a nanny on vacation or leave the children with their grandparents.

At the risk of dating myself, I was the nanny on a vacation when I was 18. Two women I babysat for wanted to see Elvis in Las Vegas and took me along to keep an eye on their toddlers. They went to the concert, gambled and drank until all hours. I didn't get to do much on my own, but the moms knew someone was home with their children while they had partied.

 

[sleuthin4fun]

Absolutely not. I had the advantage of built-in babysitters (grandparents, etc.), but if someone couldn't watch the children we stayed home.

I'm like alot of the rest of you. I spent the majority of my childhood on military bases and in safe neighborhoods. Out of the house at the crack of dawn, returning inside only after dark, coming back mostly for meals. My parents knew we were safe because the parents of our friends kept an eye on everyone else's children. It was perfectly acceptable to scold any neighbor kid who was playing in their yards.

Calikid- I also grew up on military bases. It was not unusual for us to be out when the sun came up and not go in until dinner. We all ran toghter in a pack. We fished, we swam, played kick ball, built forts, walked up town for pizza. Sometimes we ate vegetables out of the garden and drank out of the hose for lunch. Never did I feel scared or afraid. Since becoming a parent I think man were we lucky. We had a lake about 1/2 a mile from our house that was in the woods. There were times I would go there all alone and fish all day only coming home if I caught something that I couldn't get off my hook. Never!!! Ever!!! would I allow my kids to do that. In todays society are children really are missing out on some of the greatest joys.

 

[CaliKid]

What gets me is these two are doctors......supposedly intelligent enough not to leave their babies alone. Being with your friends in a house with the kids is not the same as leaving your children on the other side of the resort.

IMO, Gerry and Kate McCann have a lot of nerve comparing what they did to leaving kids upstairs sleeping while the parents are "in the garden". For one thing your children are behind a locked door, and people's gardens (yards) are not 100 yards away across shrubbery, sidewalks, a parking lot and a swimming pool.