Kate and Gerry McCann touched the hands of the pope on Wednesday. And he promised to pray for their daughter, 4-year-old Madeleine, who has been missing since May 3.
I'm sure the pope isn't the only one praying for the McCanns. All parents can relate to the fear, anguish and anger they must feel.
Parenting is not easy. Children don't come with instruction manuals or how-to DVDs. The closest thing we have to an 800 customer service line, if we're lucky, is a supportive village of grandparents, other family members, friends and church members.
We parents make mistakes. And we worry about our children's future and whether we've made the best decisions for them. Years may go by before we will know.
The McCanns won't have to wait years, at least as it relates to little Madeleine. I'm sure they have already concluded that they never, ever should have left her and her younger siblings alone in their hotel room at the Mark Warner Beach Ocean Club resort in Praia Da Luz, Portugal.
I'm not unsympathetic to the McCanns. Having a child disappear is a nightmare no parent should ever have to face. But I know I'm not the first one to think that it was incredibly reckless for them to leave their three pre-school-aged children alone in a hotel room while they dined out, even though reportedly they checked on the children every 30 minutes or so.
Most little children are mischief magnets. They are curious, have abundant energy, move lightning fast and are innocently ignorant about life's routine dangers.
It's easy for them to get into trouble right under their parents' noses, let alone when mommy and daddy are out at a restaurant, only popping by to check on them twice an hour.
Call me paranoid if you want, but there's also the reality that we never know who is watching us. And while there are many good people in the world, there are also many two-legged predators out there prowling for easy prey.
So while it's easy to relax and assume that no one vacationing at a Portuguese resort is capable of abducting a child, it's not a safe or smart assumption.
It also bothers me that the McCanns didn't take advantage of the child care offered by their resort. Getting a baby sitter for a few hours would have allowed them to better enjoy their night out, even if it had cost a bit extra.
Still, no matter what mistakes in judgment the McCanns made, they and their two remaining children don't deserve this tragedy. Neither does little Madeleine.
According to British media reports, Portuguese police assume that Madeleine has been abducted and possibly taken out of the country. Her parents don't appear to be suspects and apparently won't be facing any criminal charges for leaving the children alone.
Meanwhile, the same day that the McCanns were being blessed by the pope, a Huntsville woman was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment because she left her 4 year-old daughter alone in a car.
Security officers at Huntsville Hospital found the child in one of the hospital's parking lots, sitting in the back seat with the front windows rolled down.
The Times reported that it was 28 Celsius degrees. outside when the police found the child.
Parents who leave infants alone in cars absolutely are being reckless. Their children undeniably have been endangered.
It's no less reckless or dangerous to leave three young children alone in a hotel room. But no court ruling that could be more cruel to the McCanns than the thought that they might never see little Madeleine again.
I'm sure the pope isn't the only one praying for the McCanns. All parents can relate to the fear, anguish and anger they must feel.
Parenting is not easy. Children don't come with instruction manuals or how-to DVDs. The closest thing we have to an 800 customer service line, if we're lucky, is a supportive village of grandparents, other family members, friends and church members.
We parents make mistakes. And we worry about our children's future and whether we've made the best decisions for them. Years may go by before we will know.
The McCanns won't have to wait years, at least as it relates to little Madeleine. I'm sure they have already concluded that they never, ever should have left her and her younger siblings alone in their hotel room at the Mark Warner Beach Ocean Club resort in Praia Da Luz, Portugal.
I'm not unsympathetic to the McCanns. Having a child disappear is a nightmare no parent should ever have to face. But I know I'm not the first one to think that it was incredibly reckless for them to leave their three pre-school-aged children alone in a hotel room while they dined out, even though reportedly they checked on the children every 30 minutes or so.
Most little children are mischief magnets. They are curious, have abundant energy, move lightning fast and are innocently ignorant about life's routine dangers.
It's easy for them to get into trouble right under their parents' noses, let alone when mommy and daddy are out at a restaurant, only popping by to check on them twice an hour.
Call me paranoid if you want, but there's also the reality that we never know who is watching us. And while there are many good people in the world, there are also many two-legged predators out there prowling for easy prey.
So while it's easy to relax and assume that no one vacationing at a Portuguese resort is capable of abducting a child, it's not a safe or smart assumption.
It also bothers me that the McCanns didn't take advantage of the child care offered by their resort. Getting a baby sitter for a few hours would have allowed them to better enjoy their night out, even if it had cost a bit extra.
Still, no matter what mistakes in judgment the McCanns made, they and their two remaining children don't deserve this tragedy. Neither does little Madeleine.
According to British media reports, Portuguese police assume that Madeleine has been abducted and possibly taken out of the country. Her parents don't appear to be suspects and apparently won't be facing any criminal charges for leaving the children alone.
Meanwhile, the same day that the McCanns were being blessed by the pope, a Huntsville woman was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment because she left her 4 year-old daughter alone in a car.
Security officers at Huntsville Hospital found the child in one of the hospital's parking lots, sitting in the back seat with the front windows rolled down.
The Times reported that it was 28 Celsius degrees. outside when the police found the child.
Parents who leave infants alone in cars absolutely are being reckless. Their children undeniably have been endangered.
It's no less reckless or dangerous to leave three young children alone in a hotel room. But no court ruling that could be more cruel to the McCanns than the thought that they might never see little Madeleine again.
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