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Belgian family recreates "Home Alone" - son left behind on rest stop bench
Next time you run through your checklist of things you don't want to forget when you go on vacation, be sure to include your kid(s) on the list. That is where a Belgian family went wrong last week, when they left their son on a bench next to their caravan.
The family had stopped at a French highway rest stop and set up their caravan for the night. When the young boy got too hot indoors, he decided to sleep outside on a bench.
When he woke the next morning, his family was gone, and he was on his own without any money or a phone. His family made the mistake of leaving the rest stop, without making sure their son was still with them.
The boy eventually made his way to a gas station where the police were contacted. His family was stopped about 200 miles away and immediately returned to the gas station to pick up their child.
Gallery: 10 things that will mess up your vacation
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 10)
Wish Belkin Jul 15th 2009 5:11PM
Bet they wouldn't have forgotten a twenty dollar bill on that bench.
CWW 1971 Jul 15th 2009 5:10PM
IT'S LIKE LEAVING YOUR KID IN A CAR WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS 90 DEGREES. HOW CAN ANYONE BE SO STUPID.
Rick Jul 15th 2009 5:35PM
lol as some have stated.....this sounds like a "Joe Dirt" story
Steve-a-rino Jul 15th 2009 5:51PM
I tried leaving my kids at the mall, baseball games, you name it, but the cops kept bringing them back. My fault for making them memorize their address and phone number.
I couldn't even get the school to keep them. Once the after school program ended at 6 p.m. the sheriff was supposed to take them, but that never happened, either.
They finally grew up and went to college before I could come up with a fool-proof plan.
There must be a way!Good luck!
THE FABULOUS JOHNNY G. Jul 15th 2009 5:55PM
THEY FORGOT TO PUT IN THE KIDS NAME... ROBERT BARONE....
Just Me Jul 15th 2009 5:57PM
No, I believe his name was Joe Dirt
jojo Jul 15th 2009 6:02PM
forgetting a kid that was supposed to be in the f..in camper i can see how that could happen .would this happen to wise peeps ? no !! cuz we have ears and can hear the camper door open and close.
Maryanne Jul 15th 2009 6:09PM
Stop making excuses for these dumb parents...i am sorry ...
what is on their minds 24/7 ...not the kids that is for sure
mommys and daddy , grandparents, aunts , uncles, older brother or sister.....
you are older than these children....Learn to communicate....
i just dont know what this world is coming to...anymore...
wake up and smell the coffee....everyone...
Mary Jul 15th 2009 6:08PM
ATTENTION: TO ALL MOMMYS AND DADDYS....
YOU WANT TO BE A MOMMY AND A DADDY
WELL ACT LIKE ONE....
David Jul 15th 2009 6:34PM
More than likely, the writer of this story made a mistake on the mileage. In France, where they were traveling, they travel in kilometers, not mile's. Assuming they drove 200 kilometers and NOT mile's, that is approxmately 120 mile's. In that area, you are also traveling on an autobahn type highway which in most area's has an unlimited speed limit. My point is, they could have been driving as little as an hour, hour and a half.
This same thing happened to me in 1972, while traveling to Florida I was left at the gas station in Valdosta, Ga. My parent's had drove approximately 30 mile's before the highway patrol pulled them over and let them know.I had been asleep in the backseat and no one ever saw me get out. I guarantee you that I let someone knnow each time I went to the restroom after that.
Mary Jul 15th 2009 6:16PM
Oh!!!! way everyone i got a really good one ...that happened to a friend of mine the other day at the airport....
they were sitting waiting to board the plane...and a lady was sitting next to my friend...she said to my friend...can you watch my son ( he was about 6 yrs old)...AND my friend says i am sorry but i just cant do that ...for lots of reasons...so the dumb lady left the kid in the waiting area ...and get this everyone....
THE LADY TOOK HER LUGGAGE WHICH CONTAINED HER LAPTOP COMPUTER...ha..ha...i want to throw up.....
David Jul 15th 2009 6:32PM
Karen, beliieve it or not and we are NOT TALKING that many year's ago. You could actually leave your kid's in the car while you went in to pay for gas and NOTHING would happen to your kid's. However, the LOW LIFE'S of the world had to show their head and now parent's have to MICRO MANAGE their kid's.
In ALL honesty, IF the low life's had not started carjacking and stealing car's while seting at the store, you would still be able to run in and pay w/o grabbing every kid up. Society has changed, so law's have had to change with them. Also, it wasn't that long ago, when it was perfectly acceptable for a 11 y/o to babysit. That is, until gov't get's involved and now it cost $800 a month for daycare, what a ripoff. Again, not that long ago, the average babysitting wage was $1.00 an hour for 1 kid and $.50 an hour for 2. Worked well for decade's but again, BIG Gov't got in our business and started paying for everyone's daycare so of course it could NOT stay at $1 an hour.
I AM HONESTLY sick of government running our live's. We are now living in the United Soviet Stae's of America. USSA
teresa Jul 15th 2009 6:41PM
As the mother of 10 I also once left one of my childern, We were going to the store and for the first time I didnt do a head count and sure enough my youngest son was not in the van. Well I only got to the end of my road when I realized one was missing. I'm just thankful I didnt get all the way to the store.
Jim Jul 15th 2009 6:42PM
Oh, come on. Too many people are too quick to condemn. Accidently leaving a child behind does happen occasionally which is unfortuante, but that doesn't mean the parents are awful and should lose custody. It happened to me as a child. I went to a cub scout troop meeting with my father and he took off without me at the end thinking I'd got a ride with neighbors. I did get a ride home with those neighbors after finding Dad had gone. But I'm no worse for the experience.
After all, scout motto, "Be prepared." Let's not be so quick to jump all over the parents. I'm sure they're kicking themselves from here to next year about it. No need to go nuts over it. It's not like they did it on purpose...which DOES happen with alarming frequency and I don't see people getting bent out of shape about THAT.
Abnormal Jul 15th 2009 6:44PM
When my son gets older, I'll leave him somewhere. Like a few said, its a great story to tell friends, and its a hell of a learning experience. I would be more than a mile or two away, but at times, kids need that. Let a brat who doesn't appreciate a damn thing be left alone somewhere. Guarantee they'll be looking at home and family with a bit more caring.
zella Jul 16th 2009 5:00PM
I'll bet they checked to see if they still had their purse ,' Money ' with them !!!!!
andrea Jul 15th 2009 7:09PM
hi my naame is andrea and ny daughter chepa and i went to the market we shopped i put my hopping in the car and got in proceeded out of the driveway towards home omg!!! i forgot my daughter in the basket!!! i immediately turned back only to find a policeman with her and her crying!!!! i got a good lecture and he sent me on my way!!!!! not funny at the time she is 28 and still reminds me!!!!! omg!!! i cant believe i did that!!! well thats it andrea ramirez
Nimue Jul 15th 2009 6:50PM
You don't know what time the family left either. They might have gotten up early to avoid traffic and thought the boy was sleeping so not to wake him they might have just left thinking he was still sleeping. Poor kid thougth, at least they came back for him, I guess that's a plus lol
Andrade Jul 23rd 2009 9:37PM
I was just thinking the same thing...You know what really bothers me? How is that sooooo many people here thought the parents did this on purpose....I can't believe that...It must be that those people thought to rid themselves of their own children..I never would have thought that these people did this on purpose..I'm not naive either...First of all...If they wanted to get rid of this one child they certainly wouldn't have done it this way....Generally, if you wanted to get rid of one then you certainly don't have a heart and would want to get rid of all of them...I can't believe people just don't think that this was an accident and thank the LORD he was safe...It doesn't matter how old he was; the fact of the matter is he got out for whatever reason and I believe too, that it was super early in the morning, the family left at dawn assuming the child was still in the car..Don't people have better things to do besides finding fault in this instance????? Gosh, people....GET A LIFE...these comments lend me to believe that these people are so negative and MISERABLE with their own lives that they have to find fault for everything and everyone..WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE???????? That's all I can say; NONE OF US ARE PERFECT!!!! YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY..You must be a very kind, considerate, loving person who has NO HATE IN YOUR HEART
BEFILGA Jul 15th 2009 6:51PM
so i guess they dont eat either ? no breakfast, no brunch or lunch ?
how about a pee stop ?
these must be the dumbest folks around- is there a doctor in the house ! pls fix the parents.............