Thank you. Finally..

(Feel free to read the entire story if you'd like)


"Were her parents negligent to leave Madeleine and her 2-year-old twin siblings alone, even for a brief time? Or should they have been able to expect a certain level of safety in this family-friendly southern resort town?"

"Sharman Stein, director of communications at New York City's Administration for Children's Services, said her agency would definitely conduct an investigation if they received a call that children as young as 4 were left unsupervised.

While Stein said laws often don't specify the age at which it's safe to leave children alone, she said she didn't know any child protection expert who would consider 4 an acceptable age. New York State's Office of Children and Family Services suggests on its Web site that some children might be capable enough to care for themselves at 12 or 13 years old, but cautions that maturity varies greatly.

"Children 4 and under should not be left alone," she said, noting that Children's Services has a campaign called "Take Good Care of Your Baby" that urges parents to never, under any circumstances, no matter how briefly, leave their children alone. "It's not good parenting. It's just not safe," she said."