Rocking the boat

Our gym closed. Foreclosed, actually. We got back in town from the wedding in NY to find out our gym was closing in two weeks.
You may think, so what?! Find another gym, not a big deal!

But THIS is why it was SUCH a big deal.

Gladys.
My kids love Gladys, and Gladys loves my kids! Emma went to the daycare at the gym everyday (except Fri & Mon) for nearly a year. Gladys and 2 other women were there everyday, pretty much every shift! It took Emma about two weeks to warm up to the idea of being without me for 1+ hours/day. At first I would drop her off, she would be screaming for me, and Gladys would hold her in her arms and tell me "go, she will be just fine."Hesitantly, I left.

In the beginning, Gladys reassured me that after a few weeks, Emma would come running to the door wanting to play in the daycare. I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. And sure enough, each morning as soon as the elevator doors opened to the floor of the aerobics room & daycare, Emma took off in a full on sprint right up to the daycare room, and jumped into Glady's arms.

And me? Well, I liked it there too. Believe it or not, my non-social self actually became friends/acquaintances with the women in the classes there! Yes, the gym looked like it was an old warehouse, ceiling tiles were falling down and garbage cans were strategically placed to catch the leaks during a heavy rain. We had to bang the rusted spin bikes with a dumbbell to get them positioned correctly, but it was where we belonged! The instructors had been teaching there for over 10 years...the same classes....10 years! The same people came to class each morning, we knew names, and each other's children. And so, it is understandable that on the last day of class, people were crying. (also understandable that with no new members, the place closed!). I held back tears until Emma had to give Gladys a hug goodbye.

But, on the bright side, we did get to bring home some of the gym with us! These toys were in the daycare and Emma was always playing on them, so upon hearing of the closing I quickly asked if we could work out a deal for these goodies!!!

So now, we are at our new gym. Levi is happy there, not realizing he is pretty much being ignored in the "infant" section. Emma insists on wearing her sunglasses there, and my "special" bracelet. And again, each morning, they have to peel Emma out of my arms, screaming and crying. They have lots of different staff, and shift changes. I have to ask them to come help me with her at drop off, and usually, when I pick them up, they both have dirty diapers. So our days start out stressful, the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. Perhaps I was spoiled before, where the daycare staff treated my kids as if they were their own. I'm confident that all will be perfectly fine in time.....I guess I am just disappointed!

The new gym is huge, 5000+ members, crowded, and the women in the classes are cutthroat! There is a mad dash to get your "spot" in the class when doors open. And you are out of luck if you are 1 minute late! I'm no stranger to big fancy gyms, and this one is growing on me, but I will always appreciate the hometown feeling of a family-run gym.

I think I have also become "that mom". Ya know, the one that the staff dread showing up each morning. The overly concerned one, asking questions upon pick-up about how my kids did. I even called the gym and asked if they would hire the staff from our old gym. And sure enough, they said they were already working on it, and one of the staff was working there the next morning (Gladys's daughter, she ran the daycare there)! Emma still cries, but is greatly comforted by her familiar face.

I keep telling myself that it is just a gym, and I feel so stupid making such a big deal out of it. But then I realize, it isn't just a gym. The workout itself is probably the least of my concerns. It is my routine, it is my hour (and opportunity to shower) alone, it is what I base the rest of our days' schedule off, and it is a place that I (should) know my kids are well-taken care of and having fun without being by my side! It is this devoted stay-at-home momma's baby steps towards dropping her kids off at a real preschool one day!