Eager parents compete for kids’ event reservations

It’s 5 in the morning and my alarm screams. I stumble out of bed, flip on the blinding fluorescent lights in the kitchen and head straight for the computer.

I’m not checking my work email or Facebook news feed. I’m trying to sign up for the next month’s Mini Build session where kids receive free small Lego kits at the Lego Store.

Before my computer fires up, I get distracted by a child waking up way too early. I send him back to bed and click on the web browser. Then I remember I have to pack two home lunches and hustle to place last night’s chicken in the microwave to warm up.

Finally, with two lunch bags packed and breakfast on the table, I head back to the computer and, darn, I’m waitlisted. Who are these laser-focused parents who manage to beat me month after month to those coveted Lego spots?

It’s the same story with the free swim classes offered by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Every season, I mark the sign-up date on my calendar and leave a reminder note on the fridge. And still I’ve managed to snag a spot only once — when online registration malfunctioned, preventing parents from signing up immediately. Otherwise the classes are filled in minutes, if not seconds.

Whoever thinks Hawaii parents are laid-back compared to their mainland counterparts hasn’t tried enrolling a child in a public summer school (line up at 3 a.m.) or summer fun in Manoa (camp out overnight).

I am a very organized person. I excel at multitasking. And yet I always get edged out! OK, maybe I’m a bit competitive, too.

This time of year, as we race toward the holidays, it’s even worse.

While there may not be brawls breaking out in the aisles of Walmart over the last Hatchimal (or whatever this year’s must-have toy turns out to be), Hawaii moms and dads find other outlets for their over-the-top devotion.

Living on an island, the parenting game is different. There are fewer events and programs and no neighboring townships to drive to seeking more opportunities. If you miss reserving a spot for the Breakfast with Santa at Dave & Buster’s, there isn’t another Dave & Buster’s for 2,400 miles. (By the way, reservations opened in early October for the Dec. 16-17 breakfasts.)

Of course I know it’s not the end of the world if we miss any of these events, but chasing down as many fun experiences for my kids before they age out is my way of loving them. And so I must sharpen my keyboard skills, as if readying for a virtual game of musical chairs.

As I hover at my computer, waiting for the Honolulu City Lights trolley tickets to go on sale tomorrow, I’ll be mentally staring down all you other parents out there.

And if I fail to score holly-jolly seats, there’s always the Easter Bunny Brunch to stalk in February.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Donica Kaneshiro at dkaneshiro@staradvertiser.com.