The Summer Camp Gladiators Of Las Vegas

School in Clark County was back in session this Monday. And many Las Vegas parents are celebrating the end of what we call "Summer Camp Gladiator Season".

Every year since she was born, I have taken my 10-year old to a camp during the summers. As a working mom, having someone to watch her during the day has been mandatory. The end of the school year is always a more stressful time for a working parent. The public school system is a safe and free place for a child to be during the day. And the planning and extra cost of summer camp is often a strain on the budget and the brain.

I thought the extra cost of summer camp was the hardest part of the season. Until this year. It’s no secret Las Vegas has seen a huge influx of residents in the past few years. And from the looks of it from the daycare angle, all of those residents brought kids. Because finding a place for my daughter to go during the workday this past summer turned into a battle of the fittest for parents.

In years past, I have gone to camps that allowed a prepaid deposit to secure a spot. I’d pay the deposit in mid-spring and not worry about camp for an entire calendar year. This year I made the rookie mistake of choosing a place that didn’t do deposits. They just opened up slots five days prior to the week parents needed to leave their children.

The problem with this is that there were far more parents needing their child watched than there were spots open for those children.

And so every Wednesday morning at 7a.m. I would patiently wait for the bloodbath to begin. It wasn’t difficult to be up at this time. I had anxiously woken up at least a half dozen times already throughout the night thinking I’d missed the deadline.

I would have my first cup of coffee, to make sure I was alert enough for the fight. I’d ensure my credit card was handy. Just to avoid any potential hurdles. And when the clock turned 7, it began. Rapidly the number of open spots would decrease. It always started at 145. Then 130. Then 105. The numbers often dropped faster than my fingers could move.

I would hurriedly try to put each of the days I needed into a virtual shopping cart. Navigating through the error messages indicating too many people were trying to buy the same option. Sometimes I would check out with whatever I could grab, only to go back in and try to secure the rest. With every checkout, I had to re-enter my card information. Panicking as the number of open spots continued to decrease.

Over the weeks, I got better with my battle strategy. Putting my address and credit card information in my notes so I could copy and paste into the boxes instead of risking a typo. That shaved a few seconds off my time. Making sure I was already logged in before the battle began. There’s another five seconds.

Any shortcut I could take gave me more of an advantage over the other parents. And i needed all the help I could get. Because by 7:05, all the spots were claimed. Most weeks I was victorious. Some I wasn’t. And you could always tell which parents failed in their quest that week and which claimed victory. Simply by their demeanor walking in to camp later that morning.

The winners strutted with confidence. Like they were walking out of the arena with the blood of their enemies still on their armor. Those who weren’t so lucky wore the pain of defeat on their faces. Victors would nod at each other in approval in the lobby. Losers would avoid eye contact with others.

And so, with the school year beginning, parents in Clark County can once again sleep soundly. Not having to worry and stress about where their child will go during the workday. Finally, we can all be friends again.

Until next year…

Want more from this author? Check out her home page.