NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
In August 2025, Lauren Rodriguez dropped her daughter off at a roller skating birthday party<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
When she returned, she found her 9-year-old unaccounted for\u00a0and alone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
The experience left her shaken \u2014 and prompted a larger conversation about trust and responsibility<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What was meant to be a fun afternoon for her 9-year-old took an unexpected turn for one mother in Nevada.<\/p>\n
After dropping off her daughter, Ashlyn, at a roller skating rink for a birthday party in August, Lauren Rodriguez briefly met the hosting parent for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked her if it would be ok if I let Ashlyn stay with the party while I ran some errands, the hosting parent said it was totally fine,\u201d Rodriguez tells PEOPLE exclusively, noting that they arrived shortly after 2 p.m. and she got Ashlyn signed into the party and situated with her skates before leaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked her what time the party ran to, and she said that it would be over at 5 p.m,” she adds.<\/p>\n
But when the mother of four arrived back at the rink just before 4:30 p.m., she found a dark, locked party room and her daughter nowhere in sight<\/a>.<\/p>\nGiven that her daughter does not have a phone yet, she had no way of contacting her directly. \u201cI immediately looked for Ashlyn,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0\u201cI saw her on the rink and I asked her where everyone was. She said everyone left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her daughter had apparently found a friend she knew from gymnastics at the rink who was not part of the party. The two girls \u201cbuddied up” so that Ashlyn had someone to hang out with despite the other guests leaving.<\/p>\n
Concerned, Rodriguez spoke with the rink manager<\/a>, who informed her that the party had ended nearly an hour before she got back.<\/p>\n\u201cHe said they were a messy group that were all trying to get outside with their roller skates on and he had to tell them they couldn\u2019t take their skates outside,\u201d Rodriguez explains. \u201cSo the party took off their skates and proceeded outside\u2026 that is where a gift was going to be presented to the birthday girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\nLauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n
Lauren Rodriguez’s daughter, Ashlyn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Ashlyn, however, had gone back to the room after skating, found it empty, and assumed the party was over.<\/p>\n
Once the host noticed Ashlyn was missing, she reached out to Rodriguez around 4:24 p.m., reportedly asking: \u201cDid you come and pick up Ashlyn? I haven\u2019t seen her in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
By then, however, Rodriguez had already returned to the venue and called the mother eight times.<\/p>\n\n![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ghYmK_vn6fbe6YarubE6xA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/98bed7f13bae96577bfd749e60ab34c5\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nLauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n
Lauren Rodriguez and her daughter, Ashlyn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cShe finally responded via text and said that she lost her phone in the parking lot and that the reason she is texting me and not calling me back was because her phone was at 2%,\u201d Rodriguez explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me that they only had the party room for 45 minutes and then they moved the party to the lobby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez says no one informed Ashlyn or herself about the move to a new location, which was why the tween went back to the party room while everyone else went in a different direction.<\/p>\n
The host later told Rodriguez that they were at the rink until 5:30 p.m., but Rodriguez questioned this, asking, \u201cIf she was there until 5:30, then why wouldn\u2019t she approach me while I\u2019m frantically looking for my daughter\u2019s shoes and speaking to management?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez posted a TikTok about the situation and it quickly went viral, gaining over 2.5 million views and sparking a wave of mixed reactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are we leaving our children unattended in public spaces? Don\u2019t you think the mother of the birthday child had enough on her plate that day?\u201d one user questioned. \u201cUltimately it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your child is safe. Run your errand some other time.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, others rallied behind Rodriguez, commenting, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s just because how I grew up but as a millennial with 3 kids, I would not expect the parents to stay at my kids party,\u201d one wrote. \u201cTo me the standard is to drop them off and pick them up after. I would be keeping track of every child being the host.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/NQ_.fcNNT8GUHxVCosmZIA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/1750c35378aa9efe824472f815948e69\"\/)
<\/div>\n\nLauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n
Lauren Rodriguez and her family of six.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Reflecting on the experience, Rodriguez shares that only once her daughter was back safely did she have time to process the situation.<\/p>\n
“The fact that my daughter was left unaccounted for… really upset me,\u201d she tells PEOPLE. \u201cI was so confused, angry and just sad for Ashlyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, Rodriguez says she realizes that not all parents approach responsibility the same way and that, in her view, any child left in her care becomes her full responsibility \u2014 and that she would \u201ccare for them as my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, her advice to other parents is simple: “Don\u2019t do a birthday drop off.”<\/p>\n
Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In August 2025, Lauren Rodriguez dropped her daughter off at a roller skating birthday party<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
When she returned, she found her 9-year-old unaccounted for\u00a0and alone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The experience left her shaken \u2014 and prompted a larger conversation about trust and responsibility<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What was meant to be a fun afternoon for her 9-year-old took an unexpected turn for one mother in Nevada.<\/p>\n
After dropping off her daughter, Ashlyn, at a roller skating rink for a birthday party in August, Lauren Rodriguez briefly met the hosting parent for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked her if it would be ok if I let Ashlyn stay with the party while I ran some errands, the hosting parent said it was totally fine,\u201d Rodriguez tells PEOPLE exclusively, noting that they arrived shortly after 2 p.m. and she got Ashlyn signed into the party and situated with her skates before leaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked her what time the party ran to, and she said that it would be over at 5 p.m,” she adds.<\/p>\n
But when the mother of four arrived back at the rink just before 4:30 p.m., she found a dark, locked party room and her daughter nowhere in sight<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given that her daughter does not have a phone yet, she had no way of contacting her directly. \u201cI immediately looked for Ashlyn,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0\u201cI saw her on the rink and I asked her where everyone was. She said everyone left.\u201d<\/p>\n Her daughter had apparently found a friend she knew from gymnastics at the rink who was not part of the party. The two girls \u201cbuddied up” so that Ashlyn had someone to hang out with despite the other guests leaving.<\/p>\n Concerned, Rodriguez spoke with the rink manager<\/a>, who informed her that the party had ended nearly an hour before she got back.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said they were a messy group that were all trying to get outside with their roller skates on and he had to tell them they couldn\u2019t take their skates outside,\u201d Rodriguez explains. \u201cSo the party took off their skates and proceeded outside\u2026 that is where a gift was going to be presented to the birthday girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriguez’s daughter, Ashlyn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Ashlyn, however, had gone back to the room after skating, found it empty, and assumed the party was over.<\/p>\n Once the host noticed Ashlyn was missing, she reached out to Rodriguez around 4:24 p.m., reportedly asking: \u201cDid you come and pick up Ashlyn? I haven\u2019t seen her in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n By then, however, Rodriguez had already returned to the venue and called the mother eight times.<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriguez and her daughter, Ashlyn.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cShe finally responded via text and said that she lost her phone in the parking lot and that the reason she is texting me and not calling me back was because her phone was at 2%,\u201d Rodriguez explains.<\/p>\n \u201cShe told me that they only had the party room for 45 minutes and then they moved the party to the lobby.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez says no one informed Ashlyn or herself about the move to a new location, which was why the tween went back to the party room while everyone else went in a different direction.<\/p>\n The host later told Rodriguez that they were at the rink until 5:30 p.m., but Rodriguez questioned this, asking, \u201cIf she was there until 5:30, then why wouldn\u2019t she approach me while I\u2019m frantically looking for my daughter\u2019s shoes and speaking to management?\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez posted a TikTok about the situation and it quickly went viral, gaining over 2.5 million views and sparking a wave of mixed reactions.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are we leaving our children unattended in public spaces? Don\u2019t you think the mother of the birthday child had enough on her plate that day?\u201d one user questioned. \u201cUltimately it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your child is safe. Run your errand some other time.\u201d<\/p>\n However, others rallied behind Rodriguez, commenting, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s just because how I grew up but as a millennial with 3 kids, I would not expect the parents to stay at my kids party,\u201d one wrote. \u201cTo me the standard is to drop them off and pick them up after. I would be keeping track of every child being the host.\u201d<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriquez<\/p>\n Lauren Rodriguez and her family of six.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Reflecting on the experience, Rodriguez shares that only once her daughter was back safely did she have time to process the situation.<\/p>\n “The fact that my daughter was left unaccounted for… really upset me,\u201d she tells PEOPLE. \u201cI was so confused, angry and just sad for Ashlyn.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back, Rodriguez says she realizes that not all parents approach responsibility the same way and that, in her view, any child left in her care becomes her full responsibility \u2014 and that she would \u201ccare for them as my own.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, her advice to other parents is simple: “Don\u2019t do a birthday drop off.”<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
<\/div>