h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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<> (Sho)

The Guardian article I read a day or so ago had them checking on the kids 'several times an hour'. How likely is that?

In any case, the 'checking in' time factor changes with every new article you read. So if we think that 'several times an hour' meant, oh I dunno, every 10-15 minutes, then why even bother going out for a meal?

If you're a five minute walk to the apartment and keep going to check every 10-15 minutes, then how can you actually eat a meal? Like, why bother going out if you are leaving your chair every ten minutes for (at least) ten minutes at a time.

That whole story just doesn't seem to work, does it?

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Yes, I would. But I'd feel very sad about it all.

az

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I've heard that one too and it is total nonsense.

Unless their garden is so massive that they couldn't see the house and see someone breaking in.

In which case, NO, they shouldn't hang about in their massive garden where they can't see or hear what is possibly happening to their small children in the house.

It's amazing that anyone has to spell this out for them!

az

Hmm, not sure where I stand on this one. I don't really have a clear picture of the risk to small children of being left alone. I would have thought abduction as a risk was fairly negligible, but I'm sure there are other hazards for small children left alone which are more serious. Would taking your children for a drive in the car count as irresponsible parenting given the fairly high risks associated to that?

On the other hand one thing is clear, this BBC censorship is very annoying.

Right, my last post was hidden for some unknown reason, let's see what's Yikesworthy in it shall we?

1) I have 3 relatives, one of a similar age to Madeline, 2 of a similar age to her siblings.
What house rule does that break?

2) If parents of said relatives had left Kid A in charge of Kids B and C, I'd report them to social services.
What house rule does that break?

3) Said relatives are from a northern council estate. Would, I wonder, they receive the same treatment from the media that the McCanns are getting?
What house rule does that break?

Someone needs to get a grip.

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Fair enough, Dogster, that if you go out to hang up the laundry and leave a baby alone for ten minutes you wouldn't expect it to be abducted. But going out for a meal in a foreign country ... I dunno. What if one of the three children had had a bad reaction to the heat or some food? In any moment you could have a vomiting baby ... what responsible parent would risk this for a beachfront meal?

<< Would taking your children for a drive in the car count as irresponsible parenting given the fairly high risks associated to that?>>

Only if they did a Britney and had the baby sitting on her lap in the front seat.

az

<> (Psycorp)

No.


az

In reply to psycorp's 3rd question: I wondered about that, too. We read similar things nearly every day in one of our tabloids. The reaction usually is: "oh, the parents are 'asozial' (what's that in proper English, unsocial?), you wouldn't expect any other behaviour from them." Unfair, because opposed to Madeline's wealthy parents, these parents can't afford a baby sitter, so if they want to go out, even if only to the pub round the corner, they don't have many options. But literally nobody pities these parents. On the contrary, they're punished by society and law.

Exactly...and that's one of the big elephants...not directly related to this case but the 'accepted' way in which people are treated in different social stratas...and people say the Indian Caste system is wrong and out-dated and happens nowhere else...

Regarding 'checking on kids several times an hour':

it may be that they normally use the 'baby phones' or whatever that is called, so that 'checking' could mean 'listening and see if they are weird noises on the baby's end of the line'.

Of course it won't be extremely convenient if parents hear suspicious noises and then have to run all the way from the restaurant to the hotel room.

"Asozial" would be ... hmmmm... I'll have to think about that

they are more likely to be unemployed, or in low-paying jobs and live in social housing.
Darren and Shazza from the Jasmine-allen-estate (on Sun Hill ) would qualify

That kind of attitude is highly prevelant. And to be honest, it's not so shocking if Darren and Shazza do it. Half the time they don't know any better. But doctors?

Dogster: if you leave a baby in its bedroom and you go downstairs to watch TV, most parents these days have a baby monitor. And I know that (I didn't have a monitor) I was in and out a lot to check - I still do and mine are 9 and 10. Babies can die very quickly of cold, heat, sleeping with their head twisted etc etc

two and three year olds are capable of getting out of bed and sticking their fingers in an electric socket, or playing and swallowing small pieces of legos, or coins left on a nightstand in the parents room... anything can happen. And for that reason it is inadvisable to leave children in a house on their own.

ToyBox - I once stayed in a hotel in Hull (Holiday Inn at the marina) which offered a baby-monitoring service (mine were 2 and 3 at the time)

what happened is that the phone in the room was put on loudspeaker (quite sensitive, I tested it) and the reception had their loudspeaker switched on. And really, I tested it. You could hear a pin drop. And I only agreed to use it because we were in the hotel bar. And even then I went to check at the reception then sneaked into the room as quietly as possible to check the girls.

They could have done that type of thing with their mobile phones...

As for the checking on them a few times an hour, there are contradicting figures:

Mr McCann says every half hour
Mrs McCann says every 20 minutes
Mr Waiter who served them said "about once an hour"
Police report said "previous visit was 45 minutes before she was found to be missing"

I can't believe it. Every few minutes another posting is yikesed. Thank goodness I now save them all, or else none of us will know what this was all about come tomorrow.

they're not being yiksed though, the mods are going mad

and I've checked what my post said (yes, back buttons are a godsend when this happens) and I can only assume it's because I said that "asozial" parents wouldn't get the leeway in the press that Madeline's parents have

and let's not forget: despite what they did or didn't do I still have great sympathy for them.

Wouldn't they be gone immediately in that case, like post #3?
They all are still waiting for moderation.

ok I've only been modded once since I've been here

i get an email, right? how can I check which mail address they will use? Because I think I've changed addresses and I don't know where to check...

You can check it in your settings - retrieve my details.

er....
under preferences I can't see that...
I'm in goo if that helps...

got it
I should be ashamed, with all these years of hootoo service!