April Jones, Missing Girl in Wales

[Hillian1]

Just a little insight for you of growing up in a Welsh Village, as I did 35 odd years ago but family say it's not changed much..

Everyone played out in the streets.
Everyone knows everyone else.
Children know their adult neighbours and everyone in the street as Auntie this or Uncle that.
Said neighbours are free to hijack the nearest children for chores without permission from parents.
Said neighbours are also used as nurses to ALL children in event of life threatening knee scrapes.
Children are literally dragged off the playground (street) at nightfall by parents.

It is a different world to here with different rules.

 

[Questions]

Just a little insight for you of growing up in a Welsh Village, as I did 35 odd years ago but family say it's not changed much..

Everyone played out in the streets.
Everyone knows everyone else.
Children know their adult neighbours and everyone in the street as Auntie this or Uncle that.
Said neighbours are free to hijack the nearest children for chores without permission from parents.
Said neighbours are also used as nurses to ALL children in event of life threatening knee scrapes.
Children are literally dragged off the playground (street) at nightfall by parents.

It is a different world to here with different rules.

Tell that to the weirdo who took that child. Rare as these cases may be there are other risks that you have to bear in mind here.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Sadly, for me now, its a question of:
a) another Madelaine - never to be seen or heard of again - always some doubt for the parents to cling on to
b) they eventually find the body - brings [a sad] closure
c) [least likely IMO] - they find her in her uncles house, locked in a cupboard under the stairs

Sad, very sad, and wherever to try to point a finger, the greatest "error" has to be in the mind of the perpetrator.

 

[Hillian1]

Tell that to the weirdo who took that child. Rare as these cases may be there are other risks that you have to bear in mind here.

Granted but the risks were probably never considered or considered to be so minute it was not worth worrying about.

I cannot bring myself to blame the Parents having been brought up in a similar place and knowing the way it works.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Just a little insight for you of growing up in a Welsh Village, as I did 35 odd years ago but family say it's not changed much..

Everyone played out in the streets.
Everyone knows everyone else.
Children know their adult neighbours and everyone in the street as Auntie this or Uncle that.
Said neighbours are free to hijack the nearest children for chores without permission from parents.
Said neighbours are also used as nurses to ALL children in event of life threatening knee scrapes.
Children are literally dragged off the playground (street) at nightfall by parents.

It is a different world to here with different rules.

Assuming it is still the same these days then presumably whoever took her knew this and used it as an opportunity. It's the sick fucker that took her we need to be blaming, not the parents.

 

[seagullwedgee]

is it just me? Why is it only NOW that police are starting to search the house where Bridger was living at the time he was arrested? either they are totally incompetent (which is why so many vigilante search groups are now forming) OR Bridger really has told them absolutely nothing, not even where he has been living, and theyve only just found out where he was living.....

very frustrating

 

[Brovion]

Tell that to the weirdo who took that child. Rare as these cases may be there are other risks that you have to bear in mind here.

No. I was brought up in a similar environment to Hillan1 (even to the extent of going to Albion matches unaccompanied at the age of 8!) and you can't wrap them in cotton wool and try and protect against every single eventuality no matter how remote.

 

[Questions]

No. I was brought up in a similar environment to Hillan1 (even to the extent of going to Albion matches unaccompanied at the age of 8!) and you can't wrap them in cotton wool and try and protect against every single eventuality no matter how remote.

Not sure what the going to football story at 8 proves ( I did at 10 as well Brovian and that mean going on the train from Worthing) apart from the fact our parents must have been mad. It's a question of what are acceptable risks to your children - if that term can apply here - when we let them go out on their own. I never wrapped mine in cotton wall I don't think but made sure if they went in a car there were seatbelts, when we went in boats on holiday there were life jackets and on push bikes they wore helmets.
Worthing is hardly the inner cities but they would never have been out at 5 years of age, on a school night, when it was getting dark, without supervision.
Sorry if that means I'm stunting their development then that's what I've done.

 

[empire]

But you were kind of implying that the parents were at fault. The only person at fault was the total **** who took the poor little girl. This could have happened at any time of the day. Maybe the parents were perhaps guilty of believing that their village was safe from this type of thing.

really? suggest you read the thread again.im thinking you have a great imagination

 

[clippedgull]

The media seemed to have learned their lesson & are completely leaving this bloke alone save publishing the details the police have given them. Who ever took the little girl is absolute scum but what about the parents. Rural area or not what responsible parent allows a 5 year old child, who apparently also has cerebral palsy, to play in the street, in the cold & dark, at that time of the evening with only other kids to look out for her. No mention has been made about the ages of the other children but surely a 5 year old girl or boy should have been at home at that time so I have absolutely zero sympathy for the parents, they completely reneged on their responsibility to their daughter & to see the weeping & wailing makes me mad. People like that don't deserve children.

It's hard not to have sympathy for the parents, unless you have a cold heart, but agree with everything else. Incredibly irresponsible parenting of a vulnerable 5yo for sure, sadly they may pay a high price for their stupidity, but not as high as poor April. Let's hope the cops find her alive.

 

[Bozza]

On another forum I use, there is a member who lives in the very street that April was abducted from...

"I live on the street where April was abducted, she was taken from right in front of my house. Every evening, in all weather, there would be large numbers of children of all ages playing on the street, riding their bikes etc. It was always a great thing to see and reminded me of when I was a lad and did the same.

There has been criticism that April shouldn't have been outside at 7pm. I was putting my son to bed around 7:00 and it wasn't that dark. I'm inclined to think that, if someone is determined, they're going to do something like this regardless of whether it is dark or not.

There is an inherent feeling of safety that comes with living in a place like Machynlleth. A small rural town with very low crime where everyone knows everyone. I would imagine our perception of safe differs from someone on a large estate in the middle of a city. The children played (and as I witnessed last night, continue to play) on the street, they felt safe, their parents considered them safe.

Age is also a tricky one, one child of a given age can be very different in terms of maturity and common sense from another. You can tell your child time and time again that they must not talk to strangers, but when faced with being confronted by a stranger, you can't possibly know how they will react. That's not even taking into account that the abductor may be known to the child, as was the case here. "Stranger" rules don't apply.

I am a parent of two children, I never have had any qualms about them playing outside, I still don't."


So - a lot of kids play outside in the neighbourhood in question. What are the chances of having such a concentration of "totally careless" parents in one small area?

 

[User removed 4]

On another forum I use, there is a member who lives in the very street that April was abducted from...

"I live on the street where April was abducted, she was taken from right in front of my house. Every evening, in all weather, there would be large numbers of children of all ages playing on the street, riding their bikes etc. It was always a great thing to see and reminded me of when I was a lad and did the same.

There has been criticism that April shouldn't have been outside at 7pm. I was putting my son to bed around 7:00 and it wasn't that dark. I'm inclined to think that, if someone is determined, they're going to do something like this regardless of whether it is dark or not.

There is an inherent feeling of safety that comes with living in a place like Machynlleth. A small rural town with very low crime where everyone knows everyone. I would imagine our perception of safe differs from someone on a large estate in the middle of a city. The children played (and as I witnessed last night, continue to play) on the street, they felt safe, their parents considered them safe.

Age is also a tricky one, one child of a given age can be very different in terms of maturity and common sense from another. You can tell your child time and time again that they must not talk to strangers, but when faced with being confronted by a stranger, you can't possibly know how they will react. That's not even taking into account that the abductor may be known to the child, as was the case here. "Stranger" rules don't apply.

I am a parent of two children, I never have had any qualms about them playing outside, I still don't."


So - a lot of kids play outside in the neighbourhood in question. What are the chances of having such a concentration of "totally careless" parents in one small area?

This ^^^^ , It never fails to amaze me how many people are ready to judge when something like this happens, whereas in me it invokes a feeling of "there but for the grace of god go I..........

 

[Brovion]

Not sure what the going to football story at 8 proves ( I did at 10 as well Brovian and that mean going on the train from Worthing) apart from the fact our parents must have been mad. It's a question of what are acceptable risks to your children - if that term can apply here - when we let them go out on their own. I never wrapped mine in cotton wall I don't think but made sure if they went in a car there were seatbelts, when we went in boats on holiday there were life jackets and on push bikes they wore helmets.
Worthing is hardly the inner cities but they would never have been out at 5 years of age, on a school night, when it was getting dark, without supervision.
Sorry if that means I'm stunting their development then that's what I've done.

The football story only proves that I'm sure some parents would think it totally irresponsible to allow an eight year old boy to go to a football match on the train on his own (not quite on my own, I'd go with my friends the same age). Think of all the harm that could happen! Of course nothing ever did. I also think there's a world of difference between making sure your children wear seatbelts and not letting them play outside as they might get abducted. To me one is sensible and the other is pure paranoia. Please don't think I'm having a go, we all bring up our kids the way we think best. I always used to take mine out of school for holidays, I know some people think that's the height of irresponsibility.

 

[Questions]

I also think there's a world of difference between making sure your children wear seatbelts and not letting them play outside as they might get abducted. To me one is sensible and the other is pure paranoia..

Just to say Brovian that my sentiments did not concern themselves solely with abduction. It was dark, or at least dusk and I presume they,re playing ball games next to a road. 2 kids in our road have been hit in the last couple of years by cars playing ball so I was also going down that train of thought as well.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

Too right.

I have a 5 yr old and this morning I was re-iterating warnings about speaking to strangers, I was so saddened to see in her eyes another part of her innocence gone. She has only ever met people who are nice to her and here was I telling her that there are nasty people about. What a sad sad world we live in if Children cant play.

This ^^^^ , It never fails to amaze me how many people are ready to judge when something like this happens, whereas in me it invokes a feeling of "there but for the grace of god go I..........

 

[Bold Seagull]

this,wasnt she out playing at 7 0clock,i mean,isnt that the time a 5 year old should be bathed and having a story read in bed

really? suggest you read the thread again.im thinking you have a great imagination

I apologise for calling you a prat, but you posed a question in your first post which clearly implies (as others have done on this thread, some of whom clearly belong to the holier-than-thou best parents on the planet club) that the parents are at fault. Perhaps in your defence it is not a rhetorical question and you are genuinely wondering if it's too late and don't have an opinion either way!?

Anyway, I'm reattributing my 'prat' insult to [MENTION=21160]fly high[/MENTION], well done sir for one of the most callous, nihilistic posts I've seen on NSC.

 

[Nathan]

Too right.

I have a 5 yr old and this morning I was re-iterating warnings about speaking to strangers, I was so saddened to see in her eyes another part of her innocence gone. She has only ever met people who are nice to her and here was I telling her that there are nasty people about. What a sad sad world we live in if Children cant play.

But we do live in a sad world, a different world from 20 or 30 years ago. It is not safe to let your children play outside at night unsupervised. Yes the village might be 'safe' but it doesn't stop people coming into the village that aren't safe.

 

[Bozza]

But we do live in a sad world, a different world from 20 or 30 years ago.

Is it?

Are there more bad people about today than there were 20-30 years ago, or is it just with the proliferation of always-on media, we believe there are more baddies out there?

I know what I think.

 

[Questions]

Is it?

Are there more bad people about today than there were 20-30 years ago, or is it just with the proliferation of always-on media, we believe there are more baddies out there?

I know what I think.

No more weirdos out there but society has set up protection for kids now. So...... It is talked about more.

 

[Nathan]

Is it?

Are there more bad people about today than there were 20-30 years ago, or is it just with the proliferation of always-on media, we believe there are more baddies out there?

I know what I think.

I think things are different now. For example, jimmy savile has been accused of stuff and it was almost acceptable for him to get away with it. I can't see Ant & Dec getting away with it.*

Media coverage has made us more aware of who is out there.

* Jimmy savile has not been found guilty. Ant & Dec have not had any allegations made against them. The only criminal record they have was for PJ & Duncan.