The Great Preschool Race...

I just returned from turning in Ben's registration forms for preschool next year.
I had been a little stressed about it because I heard registration day was a little nutso. And to think my original plan was to just turn in the forms tomorrow on his regular day. HAHAHAHA! (yeah, that's reaction I got from people I told of this plan)

Here's the thing. After this morning, I decided that the reason it's so insane is because of crazy ocd stressballs such as myself. But, such is the way of the world, I suppose.

The doors open every day at 9:15, so I was in the parking lot at 8:30. It wasn't packed yet, but I certainly wasn't alone. As soon as I saw another mom jump out of her car with the telltale handful of orange forms, I quickly followed. When I opened the front door, I was only mildly surprised to note that there were about five people already ahead of me in line. One said she had arrived at 8:15.

As I looked around and chatted a bit with this high strung group of morning people, I realized that we, this little group of Type-A neurotics, are the very reason Southwest airlines changed their boarding policy. We are the ones who camp out in the A line at the gate 1-1/2 hours before the flight boards. ;) Sorry! Early (and neurotic) birds get the worm, the best seats on the plane and the 3-day A.M. slots at the preschool, you know.

It was an outwardly nice, yet quietly viscious group of women... we all happily chit chatted, each knowing our place in line... each newcomer that entered was quietly stared down until they realized the hierarchy and took their place at the back.

A few clueless souls wandered in merely to drop their children off and asked, "What's going on?!" They were met with a group chorus of "It's registration day!" (with an unspoken "duh!" at the end)

One woman, and I do not know if she was being sneaky or if she really was just completely oblivious, peeked her head down the stairs and stopped one of the assistants who was heading into the school. "Can you turn this in for me? Thanks!" and scurried off. The assistant, who, bless her heart, is the sweetest little white-haired lady, didn't realize she was aiding and abetting. "Hey! Can she do that?! Is that allowed?!? That's not fair!!!" yelled the woman in front of me. "Give it to the person at the back of line!!" chimed in another. In the end, probably to avoid a riot in the stairwell, the teacher decided she would take it down and give it to the director, who I am quite confident will make certain the offender will be prosecuted to the full extent of preschool law. ;)

Yes. It was CRAZY. I was number six to turn in my paperwork, so I'm sure Ben will get the coveted A.M. slot we want... but as I exited the building at approximately 9:12 and saw the line that now wove up the stairs, into the lobby and down the hall, I knew some of the others would not be so lucky. And to them I say, "You shoulda gotten up earlier, SUCKERS!" ;P

It pays to be neurotic. ;)

p.s. If you think I am nuts for being this obsessive over securing an a.m. spot over a p.m. spot, you have never met Benjamin in the afternoons when he is tired. On particularly difficult afternoons, he's a completely different kid than he is in the morning. Evidence of this came out in the conference we had with his teacher where she looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if he ever got destructive and out of control during class. So yeah, I was willing pitch a tent in the parking lot if I had to to get him in the morning class again for next year!