There is no way we can undo what has been done. But we can influence the future. We can influence what parents do in future, and thereby make life safer for children. After all, children are not responsible for their welfare. Adults make mistakes. We need to do as much as we can to ensure that such mistakes are not repeated, that people learn from knowing both the consequences and the communal reaction to such behaviour.
We do the future no favours by withholding heartfelt reaction against such behaviour. Yes, the reaction is best expressed in a timely manner but I see a need for a clear message to go out to those who are in charge of children.
Sloppy thinking, like ‘it could have happened any time’ and ‘you can’t do anything to prevent this sort of thing’ and ‘this is the world we live in’ is plain sloppy, however well-meaning.
Anger is appropriate, I feel because children are defenseless, totally dependent on the judgement of adults. Adults need to be adult, not kids out for a good time, even when they are on holiday. They are on duty all the time.

I write this as a parent of three children, one of whom is 20 months. Yes, I have turned my back for a few seconds. I admit that. There was a time when my daughter could have run out under a car and got killed. I was not holding her hand, when I should have been. But that was careless of me. I have admonished myself and know that I do not deserve the right to be careless. I have a job to do,and don’t want anyone letting me off the hook if I screw up.
That’s how I think.
Thanks Twenty, for giving a lead on this.

Too soon?

I’d guess the celebs are involved because they were asked by a newspaper or Sky News or someone, and if they refused, they’d be lambasted for “not caring”.
Still, I don’t feel sorry for rich people who use the media to become richer, so…

As for the parents of this unfortunate child, they made a big, big mistake, and they’ll never get over it. Personally, I dont think small children should be brought abroad, it’s too dangerous. Yeah, I know things can happen at home, but that’s life.
Abroad, a kid doesn’t even know it’s abroad, all a kid cares about is being with it’s parents, it could be Courtown, the kid is happy.

Parents these days are too selfish.

There is a lot of moral high ground here. How many of you as babies or children were left in your pram for a few minutes or more while your Mother or Father went into the shop to get the groceries, paper, cigarettes, medicine and stayed that little bit longer having a chat with a neighbour? Even now that is currently a day to day event for a lot of parents as buggies and prams cannot be taken into the newsagents or chemists.

In those few minutes it is far easier to snatch a child than what has happened to the McCanns. The apartment they were renting was broken into and then their child was stolen from her own bed.

Right now they are going through the horrors of wondering what could be happening to their little girl.

They are aware of what can happen as this has happened a number of times in the UK. It is not that long ago that a little girl was stolen from her own bed in her home while her parents sat in the living room watching TV, and raped just around the corner from her house.

The blanket TV coverage being given to this tragedy is both a blessing and a curse. But if I was the parent of a missing child, I would never want the TV stations to give up.

As for rewards being offered, I have reservations on that as it can throw up smokescreens that need to be checked out and take vital manpower away from detecting. Though I can understand if I was a parent of a missing child I would latch on to anything that allowed me to hope that my child could be found.

I reckon some of the law enforcement lads who retired quietly after the Revolução dos Cravos should be allowed to go over Mum and Dad’s statements with them for half an hour or so and then we will see who is making tearful appeals.

There I’ve said it.