Photo: TikTok
Here's a mom who has never heard of Madeleine McCann.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Apr 26, 2023
In a now-deleted video on one mom’s TikTok account, she explains what she does with her 9-month-old child in order for her and her husband to go out in the evenings.
Maru Istomina, a “good vibes mom” living in Italy, quickly deleted the video after she received backlash for her parenting decision — but not before she was criticized harshly and reminded of the horrible consequences that her choice could have resulted in.
She said she uses a WiFi camera to watch her baby while she and her husband are out.
Thanks to a stitch provided by a woman named Velta Jackson, we’re able to see a portion of the now-deleted video where Maru claims that “we use WiFi camera and go out nearby in the evenings after his bedtime.”
Velta cuts the clip and places herself in the video, reacting to the horrifying thing she just witnessed, and goes on to explain how she doesn’t “mom-shame,” except in this case, she does.
“I feel like everyone knows what’s best for their children, but this? Don’t have children,” she explains. “Don’t have children if you’re going to leave them in a hotel room and go out. I don’t care how nearby you are, that is not normal, and it’s not all right.”
Many people in the comments had similar, strong reactions to the choice this mother made, with one person writing “Agreed, any parent going out and leaving their kid alone is selfish.” Someone else made an interesting point, saying “Even if the baby is safe, no one knows the baby is in the room alone if something happens to the parents.”
Like what happened to ABC News executive producer Dax Tejera — on a night out with his wife, he suffered a heart attack which led to his tragic death. His wife had later been charged with two counts of "acting in a manner injurious to a child" for leaving her 2-year-old and 5-month-old unattended in their hotel room.
But the truth is, you never know what could happen, and the one thing many people brought up over and over was the unsolved disappearance of a young British girl that captured the world.
People compared this mom’s story to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Velta even captions the video, “ever heard of the McCanns or??? How does anyone think this is not only okay but also think to share it with other people as a tip….naw.”
Madeleine McCann was just 3 years old when she was went missing from an apartment rental while the family was on vacation in Portugal in 2007. The girl’s parents had gone out to a restaurant with their friends only to find their daughter missing upon their return. To this day, she has not been found and her case has not been solved.
“Were they in Portugal by any chance…” one person commented, while hundreds of others talked about how this story gave them “Madeleine McCann vibes.”
For years, and even to this day, McCann’s disappearance has instilled fear in the hearts of parents who have ever thought about leaving their children alone somewhere. “I get anxiety when he’s [in] bed upstairs never mind leaving him whilst I’m out,” one person wrote in the comments.
Someone else said that Maru had actually responded to a comment on the original video saying she never heard about the McCann story, but she also made a response video (since-deleted) saying “you choose what kind of parent you want to be and that she won’t put her life on hold.”
What if your baby needs something while you’re gone? If they need to use the bathroom, need food, or need anything at all. Babies require a lot of attention and a lot of work to manage — you can’t just leave them in your hotel room.
It’s never worth it to leave your child unattended, and hopefully, Maru learns that the easy way through all the backlash received on TikTok and not the hard way.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.