3 Year Old Child ?

[anneasquith]

could a 3 year old child get dressed, put shoes on ,open a heavy outside door unaided ?

[anneasquith]

methyl, im sorry if I have offended you with my post, I must try better,

[joko]

i dont know - kids can be pretty determined when they want to be, and can even be ingenious, so although it may be unlikely its not impossible.

there are plenty of cases of kids wandering off and getting themselves into situations you wouldnt think they could...

also depends on the child - my niece was quite tall for her age, some kids are stocky or fat etc so may have more strength

[sherrardk]

Methyl, if you are that concerned then do what you suggest rather than criticise.

[anneasquith]

och, doesn't really matter does it methyl. a wee boy missing, so sad.

[joko]

methyl - anna has not posted this question as a way to publicise the story in the hopes of helping find him!
she has posted because she was unsure about one aspect of the story and wanted to see if others though it possible!

this is a q&a site not a missing person or news site, she didn't include all the ins and outs of the case or a link, because the question is not about the missing boy - its about whether a 3 year old is capable of doing the above!

[ummmm]

3 year olds are capable. How close is he to 4?

[anneasquith]

I think some of you may be missing the issue re the door, its a heavy outside security door which murray has said are very heavy for even an adult to open, so even if your child/grandchild is a genius, his outer clothing is missing as are his shoes and maybe his gloves, also this child even a 3years old is very slight (2ft tall )

[Mamyalynne]

murraymints

22.25

This is not an ordinary door it is on a security lock...a mechanism has to be pushed then heavy plate door opened....most new blocks in Edinburgh have these now...no way a little kid could do this..my guess estranged father has come along with keys and taken him....probably overseas by now !

[Mamyalynne]

mm

22.55
This child would have to have dressed got out of flat front door ..descended to ground floor reached to operate the security push and simultaneously pushed very heavy plate glass door open....I've been in these flats ...the doors are very heavy by adult standards ....

[Hypognosis]

@ummmm
//Yes. My son could get out of our heavy door under the age of two. //

Yikes!! No stopping that one. :-O

//So wish i could have recorded him doing it as the lock was well out of reach...//

I'm reading this two ways: You witnessed him do it but regret not having a camcorder/phonecam to hand at the time OR you never actually saw it happen first hand, only the evidence of it having happened, i.e. you found him outdoors. Ever entertained the idea that someone/thing (even a determined dog??) was letting him out?

//And Yes, he could dress himself at 3, he could also speak fluently and even read. //

This is why IQ scores are more meaningful with regard to children - a 3 year old with a 150 IQ would be as advanced as a 4.5 year old and certain household items can no longer be considered "child-proof".

The physical strength to open a heavy door is another matter though. I'd need to see it to believe it. There's many a tale of phenomenal displays of strength by people to escape desperate circumstances but to suggest the kid left of his own free will by such means would be highly uncomplimentary to the home he's missing from and that would be entirely inappropriate.

Like everyone else, I hope he's found safe and well, soon.

[Hypognosis]

@mamyalnne,

Google delivers 'tailored' search results, based on monitoring your web activity.

I'd be willing to bet that if you, anneasquith, methyl and myself googled the exact same sequence of words, our top 10 search results would all be presented in a different order. One person's page 1 result will be tucked away on page 2 of anothers and so on. "Just google it yourself" can, often, be unhelpful advice.

Methyl needed to know which specific news article anne was reacting to as, by now all the nationals and the TV companies will be covering it.

Just my tuppence's worth

[pixie373]

I didn't realise it was a heavy door on a block of flats, i was thinking of a standard front door. Having seen a little more on the news (i had thought he'd got dressed), i don't think it sounds like a typical 3-yr-old's behaviour. Apparently, he was still wearing pyjamas, but a coat and shoes had gone. It is possible, but i think most would have attempted to dress themselves if planning to go outside- or not taken a coat and shoes.

[Mamyalynne]

I Googled '3 year old child missing in Edinburgh' - I am as thick as 3 short planks when it comes to technology. Methyl tells us it is his life work.


I hope unpon hope that little Mikeel is safe.

[Mamyalynne]

^upon

[Cloverjo]

The initial reports said he was 2feet tall, which I thought was tiny for a 3 year old, but I've just seen an article in the Guardian which says he's 3 feet tall. Maybe this places him as more likely to open the door himself? I still think someone has taken him though.