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Okay, so I posted awhile back about how we are looking to buy our first house. Ideally we'd like a neighborhood with a strong public elementary school, closer to husband's new job. After four months, we are not having much luck finding a house in target neighborhood.

Meanwhile, those of my friends who went through the whole private school application process have been getting their letters in the mail. All I can say is: oh the happiness and heartbreak. Some of this was gut wrenching to observe. Some were accepted, some were not. Some were wait-listed. Or wait-pooled.

I thought we would be immune to all that hysteria. What's so hard about buying the house and registering the kid for the local, public school kindergarten? Seems like a no brainer to me.

Well, it seems that in our target neighborhood, things are not so simple.

There are three elementary schools in this district. Like most areas, your child attends the school closest to your house. All three have strong reputations, parent involvement, high test scores.

But - according to the school district web site - if there is overcrowding at one elementary school, your child may have to go to one of the OTHER two schools NOT in your neighborhood.

Apparently, this has engendered so much parental hysteria in town that one parent of an incoming kindergartener went to great lengths to register his child. On the morning of registration day, he got to the school at 4:30 a.m. though registration was to begin at 9:00 a.m.

Of course, ALL of this is stressing me out because we cannot even register because we do not live in the neighborhood yet.

What if we finally move this summer and there are no spaces left at the neighborhood school? Instead of walking with the neighbor kids to school, our daughter will have to be DRIVEN across town to another school.

This is what keeps me awake at night these days.

Must find a house soon.