Including my own parents. Dad was the kind of guy who enjoyed having a few friends over on occasion, nothing too wild. I'm fairly certain that no "swinging" or illegal drugs were involved. Certainly none that I ever saw at least. Just some beer drinking, cocktails etc.
But what I'm thinking now is what if myself or one of my siblings had been snatched and murdered by some perverted scumbag some evening while my parents were in the backyard socializing? What if they caught the SOB? Would some sleazbag defense lawyers have played the same game they are playing now it the Van Dam case? "JUST HOW MUCH WERE YOU DRINKING MR.WESTON?" "HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE THESE GET TOGETHERS MR.WESTON". "HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT WERE OVER MRS.WESTON". "WHY WERE YOU NOT KEEPING A CLOSER EYE ON YOUR KIDS MRS.WESTON". "ARE YOU SURE THAT THERE WAS ONLY ALCOHOL DRINKING GOING ON!!!!".
I suppose if that happened back then there would some self righteous tsk tsker's like we have on this board right now going around getting their jollies saying how bad my parents were. I'm certain of it.
MY take on the Van Dams? Not "model citizens" but not horrible monsters either. And I don't doubt that they love their kids. They just were not very wise. But not being smart or wise deserves the savaging they are getting. They probably never dreamed that something like that could ever happen. I guess the only way to prevent it 100 percent is to outfit your kid with his or her own secret service 24/7.
Maybe that isn't even enough to stop some monster who is hell bent on doing something so evil.