I have just had the fright of my life.

[tigwig]

Just been to a soft play centre with my baby and 6yr old daughter and she went missing for nearly 15mins. I am still shaking now and struggling to type! It was only a tiny place and attached to a pub and had a totally unsecure entrance/exit. We have never been before and it was time to go so I casually looked around and couldnt see her. Then I go inside the playframe up and down, still no sign. I then walked around the whole place, checked toilets and all areas everywhere, still no sign of her. For the first 5mins I wasnt scared thinking she is definitely in here somewhere. After repeating search for a bit longer I began to panic. I asked other kids if they could look, the staff were looking and shouting her name but it was so noisy you could hardly hear them. I started to cry then other parents were looking too. I was absolutely terrified and could see no place she could possibly be. I was convinced someone had taken her. I knew she would never go out on her own and I was walking around in a blind panic with tears running down my cheeks! All of a sudden this boy runs up to me and says shes here behind the slide. Oh God that feeling of relief to see her. Obviously I had looked behind there already but she had actually submerged herself completely underneath the balls in the pool so she couldnt be seen. She looks at me puzzled and says "why are you crying mummy I wasnt hiding from you!" Kids arrgh!

[B00]

Heh, betcha shouted at her huh?

[marval]

What a scare, glad you found her alright.

[cazzz1975]

would you go there again..?

[zzxxee]

thats the worst feeling in the world when your kids go missing !!

[supersuezy24]

Glad you found her :)

[NazNomad]

Yeah right ... any excuse to jump in the ball pool, we know. ;-))

[carolegif]

I lost my daughter in Pwhelli market one year, she was missing for 20 minutes. We walked around with a policeman and no sign. then he said, so you have a plan if she gets lost and we said yes, "go back to the car, but it is half a mile away". He told my husband to go and look and there she was sitting on the bonnet, very angry that we hadn't come to look for her sooner.
A few years later she took her brother to look for some horses at Teg's Nose near Macclesfield one Bank Holiday and I didn't find them for over an hour!
It really shakes you up, I don't know how people whose children go missing for years or worse carry on. A few minutes is enough!!

[Dris]

Poor you -that only happened once to me -turned my back in Debenhams for a millisecond and my son was gone.I rushed out to the street to check he hadnt wandered utside.He hadnt.Then back into store-red alert -he was found half an hour later in the middle of one of those circular clothes displays.I still have the heebees even now.
You must be so shaken -its like your worst nightmare coming true.Try to relax -hard but you have to -she's safe:) x

[tigwig]

I couldnt shout at her as really she had done nothing wrong! She was hiding from some boys and had no idea about me looking for her. And no I would never go there again lol. Its not something thats occured to me until now about how secure the entrance/exits are in these places. Only a few of the usual places I go to actually have a door that is locked and has to be released by staff so no one could wander in and snatch a child. I know its unlikely to happen anyway but there are some weird people out there.

[carolegif]

Just give her a big hug, you will laught at it when she is older!

[tiggerblue10]

I would feel sick if that happened to Lt Tiggs. Glad she's ok Tigwig :o)

[karenmac60]

Tiggs you have just made me feel very very guilty. When I was about 10 my dad ran in the Glasgow marathon. My mum, sister and I watched from various points along the route and then went to the finish line. I couldn;t see properly so I went round the other side of a tree my mum was standing next to. 2 of my uncles were running too, so I waited there till all 3 had finished and then pushed my way out to find my mum, dad and sister who were on a patch of grass behind me. All 3 were nearly hysterical cos they'd been looking for me for over an hour! I was just annoyed at the time cos I had said to my mum where I was going, but it was noisy and she probably didn't hear me. I'll need to tell her how sorry I am :)