I have five children. I can think of many times that someone could have pinched them. Here's some examples.
Right now my children are upstairs in bed whilst my wife and I are downstairs in the lounge. We have a large house and if they cry, often we don't hear them for some time. Generally one of my older kids would eventually wake and come down to tell us. Anyone could put a ladder up against their bedroom window, cut the glass with a circular glass cutter (both glazings) and then remove them from their bed. It could be an hour before we went up to check them.
Another example, I am in the kitchen with my wife, one of my older kids opened the front door to play on his bike outside in our "safe" culdesac. If someone wanted to kidnap him they probably could.
My friends eldest daughter is 14 and walks to the school bus, anyone could abduct her if they really had ther mind set on it.
Last weekend the weather was hot and we sat in the garden after putting my youngest kids to bed. Again someone could easily have abducted them durng this time.
Christina, do you ever leave your eyes off your child? Even for a few seconds? If your answers is "No" then I don't believe you as eventually you must sleep. If your answer is "Yes" then you are just as guilty as all of us other normal parents who weigh up the risks of sittiing downstairs or going outside whilst your children are asleep in bed and decide if the risk is worth it. You take a risk the moment your child is born. Hopefully though as child abductions are so very rare the risk of them being taken is so comfortingly low.
Madeleines parents have only one thing on their mind at the moment - to get their daughter back. They don't have time to address half of this nations ridiculous high-horseness about whether they were right or wrong to do so. The fact is it happened, they regret now ever taking their