OMG. Anybody just seen GMTV? 3 yr old girl abducted on holiday on the Algarve.

[tiredemma]

kate said reports just in, cant find anything on bbc.

bloody awful.

Let's put all the judgments aside here. If someone was determined to abduct this child, then they would have done it whether the parents were next door in their room or not. None of us can say we have 24/7 surveillance over our own children. I feel so absolutely rotten for the parents.....and my blood boils at who could have perpetrated such an act.

Please will people leave the poor parents alone.
Does anyone imagine that for a second they would contemplate something like this could happen?
If they rejected the hotel babysitting service in favour of their own monitoring they obviously felt absolutely confident that the children were safe and just needed frequent checking to make sure they hadn't woken in need of anything.
Do people really think that if they had considered there was even 1 in a billion chance that their child would be abducted they would have left them?
I used to live on the first floor of an apartment block and when DS1 was a baby I would leave him asleep to go down to take rubbish out or hang out the washing. Sometimes I would be gone for 10 minutes. But it never crossd my mind that someone might sneak in and take him.
My main concerns were him waking and crying and I wouldn't hear him because I was downstairs.
This must be exactly how these parents viewed the situation

So are we also not to condemn the single parent who leaves their children in the house alone whilst said parent goes off on holiday?. I think there would be less of "leave the poor parents alone" in that case.

I sincerely hope that this 3 year old is found but its looking less likely as time passes. She may not even be in Portugal any longer.

NB The Guardian is quoting this thread as an example of people's reactions. So there really does need to be sensitivity - it will be read by friends and family of this poor little girl.

From the photo and map layout in the Guardian, I can completely see how the parents would have felt safe within the complex.

Long ago I took my ex-p's 3 year old child on holiday to the village along the coast from Luz. We were so happy. It's heartbreaking that another family have walked into this nightmare.

Poor, poor family.

Attila please be reasonable - it's really not the same thing.
Leaving your child to fend for themself for a week while you go on holiday is neglect.
Leaving you sleeping child in an assumed safe environment while you have a meal, and check up on them every half hour is not.

Please let's just have hopeful thoughts. I can not stop thinking about this little girl.

I hope to God she is found safe and well, but as time passes it seems more and more unlikeley.

Horrible thing is, at some point her parents will have to leave portugal for home, and I am praying it is with all 3 of their chldren and not just 2

It is sad and unfortunate....whether the parents did the right thing or not. The poor little thing, I truly hope she is found soon.

The only hope I can have now is that it was a bungled burglary. Someone broke in, the girl woke up, the intruder panicked and took the girl. They will panic again and dump the girl somewhere unharmed.

Oh, this is just so dreadful. Don't judge the poor parents, this could so easily be one of our DDs They would NEVER have left her if they thought for a moment something would have happened to her.

Let us all pray there is a positve outcome, and give thanks to God for our children today.

The last thing that anyone who has lost a child - by whatever means - wants or needs like a hole in the head, is other people judging them, or saying 'I would never have done this or that' as if.......

Poor poor family.

Oh I was so hoping to get up this morning and read that she had been found.

Those of you laying blame at the parents door, quite frankly need to shut the hell up, this is neither the time or the place, have some sensitivity please.

I think MN should delete this as I would hate any of these comments to get beyond here abd be read by anyone else that they might upset

I agree noddy.

My husband was on nightshift last night and I felt really vulnerable for some reason and put my 3 year old in bed with me. It has upset me deeply what this family must be going through.

My children are often playing in the garden whilst I am busy upstairs, on the phone, with guests, doing housework etc. If somebody god forbid was watching us and determined to take one of my children I am sure that there is daily opportunity to do so. Obviously because you never in a million years think this could happen you take a measured risk.

It is unacceptable when this poor child is still missing that we sit in our glass houses and pass judgement.

If you must think "what would I have done" please keep it to yourself.

Madelaines mum could well read this site when she is having to come to terms with what has happened.

Personally, I can quite easily see how they could have left the kids. I too would have thought that they would be perfectly safe. The parents were within sight of the door, and they were being checked on regularly. It's only the same, really, as having your children asleep upstairs while you're outside in the garden (possibly safer as you wouldn't in that circumstance go and check on them every ten minutes or so)

It is a devastating thing to happen and it sends shivers down my spine when I think of what the family are going through and what has happened to that poor little girl.

Hope and pray that she is returned safe and well soon.

No news yet

Oh I see this has been started - sorry everyone!!!!

I heard about it yesterday, so terrible.

god hoped and prayed we would wake up to some news this morning it must be unberable for the family my thoughts are with you

Havent read the whole thread but saw this on the news and felt compelled to say something on MN.

This article has had me in tears. Whatever the circumstances leading to the disappearance of this little girl (and I'm not sure here is the place to start making comment thb), none of us would wish this heartache on any other parent.

I truly hope the Portugese police are successful in finding this little girl.
And my sympathy goes out to the parents. I have a 3 year old girl and she's been winding me up this morning actually. When she gets back from the supermarket with her Daddy she's going to get the biggest hug in the world.

My thoughts are with this little girl's parents.

How frustrating. A family friend on bbc just said they feel that the portugese police are not doing enough. Although i wonder if you would always feel that until they find her.

I came to this forum as it was mentioned in the Guardian today, and I simply cannot believe what I am reading.

I have given up after reading the first dozen posts, as it seems the vast majority are afraid of the questions that need asking. Surely the whole point of forums such as this, is that by allowing people to express their opinions a balanced view is obtained, and not complaining that a view not matching your own is removed by the moderators.

I have every sympathy with the parents of this child, and I like everyone else sincerely hope that she is found safe and well.

However, it is outrageous that these children were left on their own while the parents were a couple of hundred yards away. Whether they had a listener or not, any number of things could have happened to bring harm to the children that they wouldn't have known about from that distance, such as a fire, etc.

If these questions aren't mentioned on this forum and everyone just says "What bad luck", children being left on their own will be seen as an acceptable thing to do, which it quite simply isn't.

Agree. Leaving a child is just not acceptable and in order for society to recognise that, we have to discuss it.

Really feel for the parents,

As I understand it they could see the door of the apartment from where they were sitting. That doesn't seem very different to be to sitting outside your holiday villa having a barbecue on the patio or walking to the end of the garden. Poor souls. What a nightmare.

Go away This can be a debate at any other time but not while those poor people are suffering As you are a perfect parent who has never taken a risk I would suggest you bugger off as this is noth the forum for you as we are all a bit flawed