The other day at Target, as I bought the girls a pretzel to share, the cashier tried to strike up a conversation with them by saying, “My kids are ready for Christmas vacation to be over. Are you ready to go back to school too?” My girls looked blankly back at her, so I interjected, “They’re homeschooled. We don’t follow the same calendar as public school.”

Her eyes got big, and she shook her head and said, “I couldn’t do that. Wow. You must be reeeeeally patient. I could just NEVER do that. Uh-uh!” (Shaking her head in case I missed the point. Pursing her lips. Raising her eyebrows.)

I think she was trying to be encouraging, actually. But what struck me was that she was imposing her commentary on my children’s educational experience right in front of them. That wouldn’t happen if they were public-schooled.

I mentioned it to my friend Jeanie, and she emailed me a link to the following video. It’s worth a minute to watch and listen!