I was up early today, hoping to get a phone call from either of the two people I left messages for over the weekend… and nothing… So at 8:30am, I started calling Gold’s Gym to find out who the Gym Manager was, and when he would be in. The gal gave me his name, and told me he also manages the Elk Grove Gold’s Gym, and he doesn’t give anyone a set schedule. I was able to leave him a message at both gyms in hopes that he’d get it at some point that morning. My parents showed up around 9am, and I waited around to see if the GM would call me back. I finally decided that I’d at least talk to the Child Care Manager and bring it to the GM later if I needed to. So, off I went with a couple of letters all printed out, and a list of questions that Daddy and I had come up with the night before that we wanted answered. I was a Mommy on a mission!

When I got there, I was happy to find out the GM had arrived! I caught him while he was running around, and asked if I could speak with him and the CCM together about an incident that happened on Saturday. We got the CCM and sat down at a table in the lobby. I was ready. I had my letters out for them, and just explained everything that happened. The shock, the realization, the fear and then the anger. They were both very receptive, and visibly upset that this had happened. The CCM was extremely upset that she was not notified that it had happened. She told me that there would definitely be some disciplinary action, and that she was going to work on the lock issue, and she was going to speak to the child care providers that were there that day. The GM told me he was going to speak to the Front Desk Agent that said she was the one to grab Monkey Do before she ran out the front doors and get her side of the story.

All in all.. I think the meeting was productive. I was promised a phone call with answers to some of our questions either today or tomorrow… I really hope that something happens that renews my feeling of security when I take my girls there. If it wasn’t for the Child Care there, I wouldn’t be able to go! It’d be a huge waste if I couldn’t bring them there any longer…

I’ll update when I find out more!

So I called the Gym this morning, in hopes to catch any Manager at work this morning, and of course, on a Sunday morning, there are none… But I spoke to the front desk gal who said she was the customer service manager for the weekend. Anyway… When I told her the reason I was calling, she knew exactly who I was. She asked me if I was the mother of the girl that ran out of daycare yesterday morning… I was a little surprised, and answered her, “Yes, how did you know about it?” She explained that she was the one that ran out and grabbed Monkey Do before she could make it out the front door. I was confused. I asked her to clarify what she meant. She told me that she had seen my daughter run out of the daycare doors, alone. Not with another mother or any other children as the daycare girls had told me and Daddy yesterday. I asked her about what the girls had said, and she said that the last mother and child she saw was a mother and her son walk out about 2 minutes before Monkey Do walked out. I couldn’t believe that on top of neglecting to watch my children, they LIED to me about what really happened! I thanked her for telling me what happened, and decided that now, I’m going to really take this up to the Director of the gym. I’m not just going to keep it quiet in the Day care center. It’s going up the chain.

Oh My God… I think today was one of the scariest days of my life as a parent. Daddy and I decided we’d go to Yoga class this morning at our Gold’s gym. We took the girls to the daycare, just like I do during the week without problem. We dropped them off, and went upstairs to class without a worry in our mind that the girls were in good hands. I kept an eye towards the glass doors, just in case one of the care providers came to get me for a diaper change… but we were able to go through the hour long class without interruption. We came out feeling totally zen..

Daddy and I were ready to pick up the girls and go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend. We walked in to the day care room, and we saw Monkey Do sitting on a chair, in front of the tv, watching Scooby Doo, wearing a Lady bug costume. Monkey See was talking to one of the providers at the desk. She was happy to see us! Well, one of the providers (there were 2 in there) came up to the desk and told me in a very nonchalant manner that “she had gotten outside”.. I was like “She, Who?” and the lady told me “the girl in the costume”, indicating it was Monkey Do. I was in shock. I don’t even remember much, but I was mad as hell. They told me that another member came in to pick up her kids, and Monkey Do just followed her kids out and almost to the parking lot, when the lady realized she was with her, turned around and brought her back into the daycare room. I was LIVID. Why weren’t they watching my children… LIKE I PAY THEM TO DO! They kept telling me how smart the girls were since they already figured out how to unlock and open the child door they have in the day care room… Well.. DUH! It’s not rocket science… and since the girls used to go every day… of course they know how to open it..

I don’t think I said anything else to those ladies as I walked out with Daddy and my girls. Just held my girls tight. We got to the car, and put the girls in their seats, all the while, talking to the girls about how dangerous it is to walk out with a stranger, and what happened if someone took them and then we’d never see them again… I don’t know if they truly understood.. I mean.. they’re only 2 and a half… but they did realize that when I was talking frantically to them, and then started crying, that Mommy was upset. I told them NEVER to go anywhere without Mommy or Daddy… I just don’t know what to say that they would truly understand at this point.

Anyway… it hit me, and now I’m just pissed.. I called the gym to talk to a manager.. and of course, it’s a weekend, and there’s no manager there except the Front Desk Manager… and he’s some young guy that told me he has no pull whatsoever. So he sent me to a couple of the managers’ voice mails so I could at least leave messages. I did that, and now I wait. I know the manager of the Day Care area, and I see her every time I go in there during the week. She just came back from maternity leave. I know I’ll talk to her on Monday.. but there’s just something about almost losing your child that makes you want to fix the problem NOW and not 2 days from now.

There are so many why’s and what if’s going through my head right now.

• Why wasn’t someone paying attention to the kids, and the gates.
• Why didn’t anyone notice that my child was gone BEFORE the person she walked out with brought her back in?
• Why was she able to walk through 3 .. yes 3 sets of doors before she was noticed?
• Why wasn’t there some sort of write up for this?
• Why didn’t someone come and get me WHEN IT HAPPENED?
• Why did they wait until I was in there to pick them up to tell me that it happened?
• What if the lady didn’t know my daughter was there with her and her kids?
• What if the lady didn’t bring my daughter back into the daycare?
• What if my daughter just disappeared?
• What if … oh man I don’t even want to think about any more of these…

I’m mad, and scared, and thankful, and lucky. Nothing happened to my baby. I’m going to talk to the highest authority possible there, and if nothing is done about it, I’m going to take it up the corporate ladder. They did not follow their protocol. They did not watch my children. They have made me COMPLETELY scared to leave my children in their facility. I pay them for this service, and I expect them do their job. They’re supposed to be checking ID’s when you pick up your kids.. They’re accredited and supposed to be able to handle large amounts of children… Granted during the week, they do just fine, with a bunch a kids.. and only 3 or 4 of the providers in there.

UGH. And no child harness could’ve prevented this… go figure..