Some people use their fast clicking skills to buy concert tickets right when they are available online. As a parent, I do the same thing with Chicago Park District online enrollment. Certain classes like gymnastics fill up quickly, so I need to be ready to click right when enrollment begins. I’ve been waitlisted before, and it always feels like I’ve failed my child. It’s a lot of pressure.
Today was Chicago Park District online enrollment for fall sessions. I am proud to say that I successfully enrolled my daughter in both gymnastics and ballet. Are you impressed? Do you want to be a super mom like me? Here is my recipe for Chicago Park District online enrollment success:
- Leave the house a few minutes late.
- Realize while standing on the L platform that you forgot your laptop at home.
- Run/walk home to get laptop.
- Bang on screen door like a maniac because the nanny locked it and is upstairs getting the kids dressed.
- Grab bag and drive back to CTA station to save time.
- See train approaching but have Ventra card rejected for “repeat use.”
- Barely make the train.
- Brood about how sweaty you are and how slowly the train is moving.
- Have train hold one stop before yours because the train ahead is standing due to a “disturbance.”
- Make it to desk 10 minutes before enrollment starts but have trouble accessing to the network and have to reconnect.
- Have your mouse inexplicably start working.
- Have the website up and watch the clock ticking down but somehow look away when the “add to cart” button appears and click seconds late.
- Sit anxiously in the queue for 3 minutes.
- Perform your enrollment in two transactions because even though it means paying an additional fee you are afraid that the time it takes to add the other activity to the first transaction will take too long and lose you your spot.
- Double check your confirmation emails to ensure that neither include the word “waitlist.”
- Breathe.
It’s just that easy.
Now, I just have to figure out my son’s tae kwon do color belts class. The teacher said to enroll online, but the website says online enrollment is not available for the class. Sigh.
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Kim Z. Dale 