MENTION going to the soft play center and the parents’ eyes widen in horror.
The ear-splitting screams of overexcited toddlers, bright fluorescent lighting and bland food make any sane mom or dad imagine hell — so consider the hell for those who work in it.
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Our anonymous mole knows firsthand what might be going on behind the scenes at your local gym Credit: Getty
With 60 million visits a year across the country, business is booming.
But one soft play employee, who agreed to be our anonymous mole and spill all about the industry, says kids may be the least of their problems.
Our insider started working at a play gym as a teenager and was so horrified by the bad behavior of sleazy parents that he opened his own center in the South East, boasting a strict no-booze policy, a decent cafe and a thorough cleanliness policy.
But she knows firsthand what might be going on behind the scenes at your local gym. Here, she reveals everything.
PARALYTIC PARENTS
MY first job when I was 17 was in a soft play area next to a pub and the job description should have included “nightclub bouncer”.
Parents would come to get drunk and freak out their kids. The rule was that they had to stay with their child, but they were far more interested in going back to the pub.
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Parents would often get drunk and leave their children at the gym Credit: Getty
They would get into drunken fights with us and other parents, usually when they were actually being asked to babysit their own children.
We closed at 6 p.m., and by then the parents had often been drinking since noon and were paralyzed. We often had to call the police because it was not safe to take our children home.
Because of this, I decided to ban drinking in my gym, even though parents brought their kids to the morning party, still tipsy from the night before.
And I found bottles of wine crammed into a bin, where they had apparently been drinking secretly.
PLAYING IN THE DIRT
ALTHOUGH equipment is regularly inspected and must meet certain criteria in order to operate, there are no official guidelines for cleanliness — and some soft parts are dirty. We clean ours every morning an hour and a half before opening, and also when we close.
We can go through the Hoover in two weeks as we use it so much. But other places are dirty. I’ve heard stories of dirty diapers lurking in the highest corners and vomit soaked rugs.
One woman I spoke to said her children had bugs every time they visited a center in London. If it looks dirty at first glance, walk away.
Because the bits you don’t see will be even worse!
THEN HE PLAYS FADE BALLS
WE no longer have a ball court in our ballrooms for a very good reason. They are disgusting.
We found everything in ours, from condoms – fortunately unused – to money. In one center, even a knife was found, as well as miniature liquor bottles. In some centers the child will urinate in the pit and the staff will just take out the nearest balls to wash them.
And the parents will call and ask if you can search the eggs to find what they lost. I was once asked if we could find a tooth that fell out!
SEXY SATURDAYS
WE call them “Single Saturdays”. On this day, fathers come with their children, so it’s always crowded, because moms come to flirt — some are fully made up and in high heels.
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Even condoms were found in the ball pit during the cleanup Credit: Getty
It’s funny to watch them try to snuggle up and make friends with their kids. They even asked us to approach the fathers to give them their phone numbers.
We check if they are single and then actually hand them over – the fathers always look delighted.
LYING CHILDREN SPARK ROWS
IF you put a bunch of overexcited kids in the same place, you’re bound to get into fights – over everything from yanking play equipment to pushing and hitting.
The thing is, nine times out of ten the kids are lying about what happened – we know, because we double check on CCTV.
But mothers always say, “I know my child would never act like that . . . ” They would, and they did!
PARENTS WITHOUT HANDS
WE SEE mainly two types of parents — those who never leave their child’s side and those who barely know their child’s name.
The former are generally adorable, pushing themselves up and down the levels to play with their child. But unfortunately they are the minority. So many parents see it as a place where they can talk to friends or talk on the phone without having any idea how their child is doing.
One mother used to disappear into the toilet — she said it was the only time she could poop in peace!
It is important for parents to remember that we are not a childcare facility.
We ended up having someone patrol the equipment, but that’s not what she’s supposed to be there for. And it can be heartbreaking to see a child desperately searching for an uninterested parent.
FEEDING TIME AT THE ZOO
At no other food place would you think it’s okay to go on a picnic. However, parents seem to think this is perfectly acceptable in light play.
I admit, some places only serve beige food – but not ours. We cater for all dietary requirements and there are plenty of healthy options.
But parents still think it’s okay to bring your own.
They also seem to think it’s acceptable to leave the mess for us to clean up, adding insult to injury.
And others seem to think that while their sweetie needs gluten-free options, it doesn’t matter that another child has a severe nut allergy, so they’ll scoff at the peanuts they brought, ignoring the fact that we’re a nut-free place.
SLEEPING AT WORK
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Parents are so exhausted that they often fall asleep watching their child Credit: Getty
WE often find parents so exhausted that they fall asleep. On those occasions, I try to help and watch over the child.
Let’s face it, anyone who can deal with that much noise going on must be exhausted and need some shut-eye.
ZERO ATTENTION
WHEN I started with soft playgrounds, the kids would run wild for hours.
But I’ve noticed that these days they have a low boredom threshold and always want something more.
We have to constantly change equipment and offer more, such as introducing face painters or entertainers. All this is an additional cost.
Given the working hours and the conditions in which we work, we deserve to be millionaires — and we are far from it.
But that said, I love my job and our play centers are nice and usually full of our lovely guests.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education