Yesenia Barragan had spent a long time searching for the right nanny for her daughter, Zoyee. After interviewing over 15 candidates, she finally picked the one, or so she thought.
At first, she was satisfied with the babysitter. Then, one day, she received an odd text that said: "I'm baby." When Yesenia realized what she meant by that, she got into her car and rushed home. Was it too late?
Sisters
Savanna assured the young mother that she had looked after children before and had a lot of experience. Yesenia believed her, but for some reason, she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach.
Savanna and Yesenia had known eachother for years. After all, they were sisters. So what could go wrong?
Big Responsibility
Yesenia had given her younger sister a big responsibility, but she had never expected that Savanna would let her down like that.
On the first day, Yesenia provided her with instructions and gave her a list of emergency numbers. She thought this day would go smoothly, but she couldn't have been more wrong.
Too Late
Yesenia kissed Zoyee goodbye and drove to work. Unfortunately, by the time she received that creepy message from her young sister, she was already too far away to help.
When Yesenia left Savanna's home, she was too distracted to notice the suspicious car near her sister's home. Soon, the entire family would be living a nightmare.
Having Fun
Zoyee and Savanna spent the first couple of hours playing with her toys and watching Disney movies. Surely they wouldn't get in trouble in this peaceful neighborhood in Montclair, California?
Around 3:30 PM, Zoyee and Savanna heard a loud knock on the door. Savanna turned the music off and went to see who it was. She didn't expect her sister to come back so early, so who could be at the door?
Strange Man
There was a strange man at the door. He was wearing an old hat that was covering his eyes. Savanna knew immediately that there was something off about him.
He didn't look like an official or a salesman, so what was he doing at Savanna's door?
Not Giving Up
Savanna decided not to open the door and hoped he'd go away eventually. But the knocking never stopped. It was clear to Savanna that whoever this man was, he wanted to get inside her house.
The stranger could burst through the door any minute now. Savanna was terrified. She had to think fast.
Searching For A Safe Place
She grabbed Zoyee and ran to the master bedroom. She locked the door behind them and hid in the closet.
Suddenly, the two girls heard a terrifying sound of wood splintering as the man broke down the front door. Savanna took a deep breath and told Zoyee that they were playing a game and must be as quiet as they could.
Hiding
Savanna could hear the man walking around the house. Then, she heard him trying to open the door to the master bedroom. "Hide behind the toilet, now!" she whispered to Zoyee.
She knew it was only a matter of time before the man found them. So, who was he? What did he want from them?
Sending A Text
Savanna prepared herself for the worst. Just then, she felt something pressing into her leg. She had forgotten that she had her cellphone with her.
She pulled out her phone and sent a text to her mom, but the autocorrect changed the first two words. "I'm baby," she wrote. “He is inside mom he’s gonna here me."
A Chilling Text
While she was waiting for her mother's response, Savanna could hear the creepy man walking around the house and moving the furniture.
When Maria saw her daughter's text, she immediately knew something was wrong. She knew she had to do something. But how could she help her daughter?
Waiting
“I kept staring at the door and hoping he wouldn’t try to open it,” Savanna recalls. Then, finally, she got a response from her mother.
Maria had called a neighbor and asked him to check out Savanna's house. It wasn't long before the two girls heard another man enter the house. Would he catch the intruder?
He Ran Away
As soon as the intruder realized he wasn't alone in the house, he sprinted down the hall and ran out the front door. A few minutes later, the cops arrived on the scene.
Fortunately, the man had only entered two rooms in the house and didn't steal much. But would the police catch him?
Proud Sister
Sadly despite the intruder's scent being on just about everything in the house, the police didn't manage to track him down. Then Yesenia arrived on the scene.
She was extremely proud of how her younger sister had taken control of the situation. “She was very smart and brave,” Yesenia said.
Concerned
“She did everything right.” Savanna, however, had mixed feelings about her behavior on that day. The intruder was never caught and is still walking free. What if he comes back?
Savanna is still experiencing a range of emotions. “Relief, and then knowing that he’s still out there, I don’t know, scary,” she said.
Valuable Lesson
The police are still searching for the man and are confident he won't try to break into Savanna's house again. Nevertheless, this story is a valuable lesson for any young babysitter.
Always keep your phone in your pocket and don't engage with strangers. Remaining calm will help you think clearly and keep you safe. But what one mom from Colorado did was even more shocking.
Hungry
When a little girl came home from school complaining about being hungry, naturally, her mother was confused. How could she still be hungry after eating a big lunch she had packed for her?
But Leeza Pearson wasn't prepared for the truth.
A Strange Note
Leeza's daughter, Natalee, had come home with her food untouched. But when her mother looked inside the lunch box, she found a strange note addressed to her.
Leeza was shocked that the staff at her daughter's school would treat them like this. So, what had happened?
Impeccable reputation
The Aurora Children’s Academy had an impeccable reputation. The parents trusted the staff there to help their little ones to prepare for elementary school. Little Natalee had adjusted well, and Leeza was happy with the progress her daughter had made at her new school.
But sadly, her happiness would be short-lived.
A Small Treat
On that fateful day, Leeza had put a small treat in her daughter's lunchbox - a few Oreo cookies.
She had also prepared a ham and cheese sandwich. Usually, Leeza would also put some fresh fruits, but she had forgotten to purchase them on that particular day.
Coming Home Hungry
That afternoon, little Natalee arrived home with tears in her eyes. She was tired and hungry.
When Leeza took a look at her daughter's lunchbox, she saw a handwritten note on top of the Oreo cookies. What did it say?
The Confrontation
“Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch," the note read.
“This is a public school setting, and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable, and a healthy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it.”
Unbelievable
Leeza couldn't believe what she was reading. How dare they treat little children this way? The note also stated that “Lunchables, chips, fruit snacks, and peanut butter are not considered to be a healthy snack."
She was so upset that she decided to share her story online. So, what did others think of the incident?
Obesity Problem
“I just got a bunch of outrage from friends I hadn’t heard from in years,” Leeza recalls, noting that one of her friends thought that the incident was “ridiculous.”
The school administration, however, believed they were saving her daughter. They didn't allow their students to eat "poor lunch" due to the obesity and health problem in America.
The Benefits Of Eating Healthy
“Students who eat regular, healthy meals are less likely to be tired, are more attentive in class, and retain more information,” said NYU Associate Professor of Economics and Education Policy, Sean Patrick Corcoran.
The school staff believed that Natalee's lunch wasn't healthy. That's why they didn't allow her to eat it.
"They Took It Over The Top"
Leeza, however, thinks that the school wanted to make her feel like a bad parent. She later told the media that the biggest problem with the incident was not that the staff wanted children to eat healthier. It was that they “took it over the top.”
The young mother also felt "shamed" after reading the note. She believes the school can't tell her what her daughter can eat or not.
Different Opinion
“What the school thinks is healthy for her is not what I think is healthy for her,” Leeza said.
“She needs to eat what she’s going to eat. That’s between me and her and our doctor – not the school.” Her daughter showed no signs of obesity, other.
Strange Behavior
“She needs to eat what she’s going to eat. That’s between me and her and our doctor – not the school," Leeza said.
She also claims that the school once offered her daughter sweets. “They say I can’t decide what to feed her, but then they sometimes feed her junk food,” she told ABC News.
Not A Big Deal
Leeza also defended her decision to include sweets in her daughter's lunchbox. “We’re not the parents that send junk food every day,” she said.
“She has a full, healthy lunch. And this was Friday! Why not give her a special treat?” Do you agree?