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Friday, May 18, 2007
Would you ever leave your kids alone?
Were the British parents whose child was kidnapped in Portugal neglectful or is it just a different culture?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Were the parents of the 4-year-old British girl stolen from her hotel room in Portugal negligent or was it reasonable for them to assume their child would be safe while they dined 50 yards away?
The McCanns left their 4-year-old daughter and their 2-year-old twins asleep in their hotel room while they dined at a poolside restaurant just seconds away. They say they checked on the children every half hour. Here’s the story.
And even as the search continues for the little girl, parents around the world are debating whether it’s OK to leave your children unattended and are discovering huge cultural difference across Europe and in the United States.
An Associated Press story reports that in Portugal and much of southern Europe parents often take their young children along with them to smoky bars. Many British and American parents object to kids being exposed to the smoke and loud music.
“In Spain, which is famously child-friendly, what the McCanns did is all but unheard of. Spanish parents take their kids everywhere, and it is common to see small children running around a town square while parents have drinks well into the night.
‘People just say, ‘Oh well, they’ll sleep late tomorrow,’’ said Ines Alberdi, a professor of sociology and family issues at Complutense University in Madrid.
Spaniards, she said, ‘do not totally separate children’s entertainment from parents’ entertainment. I think that is a very strong tradition here.’ ”
What do you think: Would you ever leave your children alone in a hotel room? What about on a cruise ship? What about in a family resort like Beaches? What about at home? What is an acceptable age to leave kids alone?
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