A few days ago I met up with a friend who has a nearly two-year-old daughter named Lauren. Lauren and my son met at a library story group when they both were just a few months old. Recently, Lauren's mom and her husband signed Lauren up to go to the same preschool that my son will be attending in the fall.

The preschool is offered by my church. As a member I was able to sign up in advance of the public registration day.

I had NO IDEA what a huge advantage that was.

It turns out that this preschool is so highly regarded that the line for the 8 AM registration start time began at 12. I know, that sounds insane. Midnight? Who gets in line at midnight?

Try noon. THE DAY BEFORE!

That's right. The first dedicated mom arrived with her camping supplies at noon on Friday. Lauren's mom came straight from work at about 4:30PM. She and her husband switched off "line duties," which was particularly nice since Lauren's mom is due to deliver Lauren's new little sister in early March.

Thankfully, the hard work of Lauren's family paid off. Lauren was number nine in a class of 12. Another friend of ours strolled in at the lazy hour of 3:30AM and her son is four deep on the waiting list. What was she thinking?

It's amazing that parents will go to these great lengths to get their children into a preschool that isn't hip, new, or college-oriented, but *is* well-respected, affordable, and has a long history of success.

Many parents would do whatever it takes to give their children a boost in the world, assuming it's legal and ethical(and sometimes, unfortunately, even if it's not). Apparently occasionally this means sleeping in a church lobby...

I know Lauren's parents thought it was worth it, although Lauren's mom said, "I kept feeling like we should be getting Stones tickets. I think that would have been more fun!"