The Waiting List Game

In January a friend tipped me off that I needed to start looking into school programs if I wanted to have Lillie enrolled by August. At first I thought, seriously schools need 7 months to register and enroll new students? But, I heeded the advice and off I went on my search to find the perfect place to put my daughter in part-time school. And, I found three great places that I was really excited about. Then, I heard the dreaded words, waiting list. And, I'm not too ignorant, I had heard this term before. I just didn't quite realize the extent.

I've gained a little insight into how the crazy Texas cheerleader mom becomes who she is. Apparently from day one it is a competition to get your little one into a decent program. We're talking being first in line at 5 AM to hopefully be in the top 10 of the waiting list. If you can imagine after 11 years of this type of motherly competition, you might find it OK to put a hit on a competing mom. Not that I'm really condoning that kind of behavior, I'm just saying I see how it all starts.

So, I have been playing the waiting list game and Lillie is number 17 on one and 7th on another. And, as it seems now we're not going to get into school this August. So, take this advice. I know it sounds crazy, but if you are pregnant, check out your local schools and day care now. You might want to go ahead and get on those crazy lists! It beats standing in line with 15 other moms at 5 in the morning. I mean, come on, Starbucks isn’t even open then.