Holiday girl Abducted

Heard an interesting point today on the TV about how much freedom we give our kids. Reading and seeing things like this happen all the time can make you worry for your own childs safety but to you think we now wrap our kids in cotton wool too much and dont let them have as much freedom as we had when we were kids?

On the program it said that there is no difference today in the amount of kids that go missing then there was 20 years ago.

It may have been to do with the area I lived in but I always was allowed to go out and play and didn't have a mobile or anything, my parents just trusted the fact that I was safe playing out with my friends and would be home before dark.

However these days kids seem to have mobiles for safety, are not let out to play, don't even walk home from school or have their parents watching over them 24/7.

Thoughts?

http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=26020

It was exactly the same for me, and I was only growing up ten years ago. We used to play out in the fields and on the street near (but definitely not in view) of my house. There was no way that my parents would have been able to contact me back then. But you're right, things do seem to have changed, even with my little sister. Mum bought her a mobile a long time before I got one...

Sam_Garland wrote:

It was exactly the same for me, and I was only growing up ten years ago. We used to play out in the fields and on the street near (but definitely not in view) of my house. There was no way that my parents would have been able to contact me back then. But you're right, things do seem to have changed, even with my little sister. Mum bought her a mobile a long time before I got one...

It's the perception of danger, specifically 'stranger danger' that has changed partly due to the blanket coverage (or sensationalising) of the abductions that do occur and our current obsession with paedophiles.

In reality it is a fact that there are no more abduction or child murders today than there were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. The biggest danger to children these days is not abuse (within the family or outside) or abduction but cars. More children are killed in traffic accidents either as pedestrians or as passenegrs than any other way and yet how many parents would not take a child for a walk in town or on a car journey because of the 'risks'.

Yes, we should all be careful with our children and teach them common sense wether it is about croissing the road or talking to strangers but we can't stop them from being children and that does mean they will be exposed to some 'risk' as every single person is.

I would not stop my child from going out just because they 'might' get hit by a bus etc. Teach your kids how to cross roads, teach them not to talk to strangers, give them all the help and advice you can, but dont wrap them in cotton wool just because there are possible risks out there.

As you said, we are all exposed to risks all our lives and the best lesson you can teach your kids is how to deal with them.

They are in Germany today. Where next? Outer Mongolia! One German hack asked if they had anything to do with the abduction. If they keep up this Catholic guilt the public opinion will swing against them. Its only because they are middle class and have the equanamity of religion on thier side that they havent been mauled. If no alien DNA can be found in their holiday room I fear for them.

I was reading the Metro yesterday, and there was an advert for a missing child in it. I wonder, how bad must that family feel that their missing child isn't deemed worthy of the attention the McCans are getting?

Yeah I agree; I saw in the paper last week that there have been over 1000 children that have gone missing since Madaline.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006510000-2007240121,00.html

Mauri wrote:

Yes, we should all be careful with our children and teach them common sense wether it is about croissing the road or talking to strangers but we can't stop them from being children and that does mean they will be exposed to some 'risk' as every single person is.

Absolutely spot on.

If we wrap our kids up in cotton wool they wont be able to have a childhood.

Ziggy! wrote:

They are in Germany today. Where next? Outer Mongolia! One German hack asked if they had anything to do with the abduction. If they keep up this Catholic guilt the public opinion will swing against them. Its only because they are middle class and have the equanamity of religion on thier side that they havent been mauled. If no alien DNA can be found in their holiday room I fear for them.

To be fair, it is media interest that has kept this alive, not the McCanns themselves necessarily.

Yes it is a crying shame that other children may have gone missing since without the publicity - not sure why that is - but that is down to the media (presuming the police have made them aware) more so than down to the religion or social class of the parents concerned.

I fear the answer will be remarkably close to the holiday home, and I think this worldwide searching is fruitless..but then I am not a desperate parent who struggled to have children only to have one stolen from her after 4 short years together - and it will remain in the news for quite a while now

I, as we all do, have our personal opinions on the family and the way that they have acted in the events leading to and after the abduction, however I do think being asked in public about any involvment they had in the adbuction was wrong and in very bad taste.

I might not like the way that this story had been reported, but if anythnig I think the way the parents have kept their cool in the public eye is admirable- if not slightly naive.

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

I, as we all do, have our personal opinions on the family and the way that they have acted in the events leading to and after the abduction, however I do think being asked in public about any involvment they had in the adbuction was wrong and in very bad taste.

.

were they asked that? Wow, I am behind on the news somewhat and I hadn't heard that...(but it doesnt necessarily surprise me, obviously there have been high profile cases in the past)

drewboy wrote:

This might sound a bit callous, but I simply cannot understand why it has gotten SO much coverage. I wouldn't say kids go missing all the time, but this is feeling like she is the only kid in the world.

An old quote but i agree. Although i think the amount of press attention is a great thing since itraises awareness, it has its downsides (a horrible thought butthe kidnapper could have got scared and killed her). I don't mind it being on the news every day, in adverts, in the papers. As long as it is news. Personally, (being athiest) i don't think them going to meet the Pope is news. I do wonder why it is this case that has got media attention, however, there isn't room for this much attention on a 1000 children, so it is better to go for 1 than 0.

And children do need to live as children as said before and risks need to be taken. However, only to a certain extent. A risk i would say wouldn't be leaving such a young person in on their own. Until i was 10 personally hated being on my own and i can still not sleep in an empty house. It is a small risk to leave a child, though has large consequences. Children can be children without putting their well-being at danger. Let them roll around in the mud and live yes, but nothing that can cause real harm. Children themselves are stupid, they wonder off on their own yet alone with a stranger and such a risk shouldn't have taken place.

"To be fair, it is media interest that has kept this alive, not the McCanns themselves necessarily".

None sense quote. They are using the media, its not reciprocal anymore. The media would love to kill this one dead. The only story the media want now is a cynical one, like the kidnap case in Austria. They want the parents to be involved to reignite it. Its a sad indictment but thats the way I see it.

Ziggy! wrote:

"To be fair, it is media interest that has kept this alive, not the McCanns themselves necessarily".

None sense quote. They are using the media, its not reciprocal anymore. The media would love to kill this one dead. Th eonly story the media want now isa cynical one,like the kidnap case in Austria. Thye want the parents to be involved to reignite it. Its a sad indictment but thats the way I see it.

well I would like to think it was valid and not "nonsense" regardles of how you see it!!!

The media do go into overdrive - it sells papers etc..!

I cannot believe, quite frankly, how anyone can condem parents for trying to find their daughter..what on earth is there alternative - pack up and come home, and say "oh well, it was nice while she was here"

Ziggy! wrote:

None sense quote. They are using the media, its not reciprocal anymore. The media would love to kill this one dead. Th eonly story the media want now isa cynical one,like the kidnap case in Austria. Thye want the parents to be involved to reignite it. Its a sad indictment but thats the way I see it.

You are seriously trying to say that two doctors with a missing kid are able to manipulate the UK media into this frenzy?

Oh dear......

If the Media didn't want to run it, and didn't make something out of it, they wouldn't. Full stop.

I appluad their efforts,you applaud thier efforts, but the media are voracious and want an angle. Thats why I fear for these guys as the media begin to dig into their back story,as they did with Ben Needhams parents. I think the website idea is very clever though, putting up your Portugal holiday snaps to ID the bad guys. I understand why they are campaiing but I think they have over done it a bit,'going on a tour' as the Mail put it.

the mail is probably selling a lot of papers on the back of the story..

they are not in a position to criticse parents "going on a tour"

They seem to have backed off now the first accusation has been made. Good call. Story is stone dead.

I heard on the news today that there has been some possible sightings of Madeline. Some English tourists believe they spotted her with a couple in wigs. Here's hoping that it was Madeline and the police find her soon! Lisa x

That sounds rather silly.Wouldnt be the Sun trying to keep the story alive and shift a few copies.

I think I read the same story, only it was in a paper a few days old. Somebody in Malta saw a young girl with a black wig on asking 'will I get to see Mummy soon?'or some such, and the man with her didn't seem to speak English well. I'm not really sure whether to believe it, they seem to be grasping at straws now. As much as I would have wanted her to be found alive, I think too much time has passed for that to be realistic anymore.

It does beg the question why all these people who allegedly saw her didn't do anything about it - like actually go up to her and say 'hello are you Madeleine?' rather than rushing off to call the newspapers.

Very good point. It is very sick if they are just doing it to get into the paper.

Bloody foreigners.

Up to 11 sightings now- although one of them said they were talking to her for 45 minutes and it didn't click who it was until they read other people had seen her.