Regarding the whole Portugal thing - in the McCann's defence:
I am 35, and many of my friends testify that their parents acted similarly to mine - ie - they would put the kids to bed, and pop to a pub nearby (within literally a couple of minutes walk - otherwise they'd bring us and bed us down in the car). The parents would then, on a rotational basis, check on the kids.

When my sister was still young enough to be being cotted in a drawer, my father's friend owned two bloody great big dobermans, and these were instructed to look after her, and let no one upstairs.

What was relatively entertaining was that when it was my father's turn to check on all the kids, the dobermans wouldn't let him past.

Pffft.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 10:48, 13 replies)

To be fair to your parents...
... they didn't knock you on your backside with sedatives so you would stay in bed. Probably.

The McCanns were both doctors, and both had access to the sedatives found in body fluids recovered from the back of their hire car, and toxicology tests on their other children.
(gordonjcp, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 11:21, closed)

It wouldn't surprise me if they did.
They weren't averse to slipping a tot of whiskey in our drinks if we were playing up.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 11:59, closed)

You posted this solely to try and confuse Badger, didn't you?

( BraynDedd Natasha Kaplinsky's labia majora, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 11:25, closed)

Who?

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 13:23, closed)

I am 30 and I would never leave my kids alone to go out.

( Peej, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 14:38, closed)

Yes, but your parents are now about 60.
Did they?
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 15:07, closed)

My mother is 48
and no she didn't
( Peej, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 15:21, closed)

OK - that's fair enough.
It seems among my peers that our parents, who are all of relatively similar age - mid 60s-70s - that they were rather more relaxed about their babysitting - as evinced above - as opposed to today's paranoia about paedogeddon.

Personally I think it's something of a shame. Likewise (admittedly, I grew up in the countryside) we would disappear all day during the holidays - out after breakfast and would often only return for tea - not even lunch.

I can't envisage such happening now.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 15:34, closed)

I don't really have any fear of paedos or kidnappers
I do have fears of felt tips pens and light brown sofas. I grew up in the country side too and was allowed to play out for hours on end but not until I was a bit older, but Maddy was 3 or 4 and was left with 2 year old twins. That's just terrible parenting
( Peej, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 16:47, closed)

Yeah that would have been the same as my sisters, our friends' kids and I.
There would be about 7 or 10 of us in the room ranging from about 7 to ... well - one of us being able to be cotted in a drawer.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 16:50, closed)

Wouldn't it be
Dobermen?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 18:20, closed)

Send me a mongoose
Also send me another mongoose.
(salvadorevincent, Wed 3 Nov 2010, 10:02, closed)

Doberman, Doberman
does whatever a dobercan.
(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 8:54, closed)