One Small Triumph

In the unlikeliest of places, I had my first Moment of Triumph about homeschooling.

We all went to the dentist this morning. LoonyMom, Dr. D, St. Nick, Little Fish, and even Mud Pie. Always an adventure. I spent most of my time with Little Fish (who had his first exam and did GREAT!) and with Mud Pie and Little Fish both.

Daddy had to relate events to me, and for some reason, this makes the story all the more special. I guess while I had Little Fish in for our cleaning, the receptionists started up a conversation with St. Nick. This is a mistake. He is the most chatty child on the face of the planet - the only time he is not speaking is when he's asleep. And even then he's been known to say a few words.

So, they started in on the usual topics, "How old are you?" Five. "What's your favorite number?" Five. "Are you in school?" Like the smartypants he is, he replies, "I go to school. I go to Home School!"

"Oh."

And the conversation would be done. Except St. Nick doesn't end a conversation until it is ended for him by someone else. Finally, this had to happen, but not long after, as he and Daddy were having their teeth checked, the conversation picked back up again, this time with the dentist and his assistant.

"So you're homeschooled, huh?" And Dr. D (aka Daddy, in case that wasn't obvious) prods, "Can you read that sign?"

St. Nick eyes the advertisement on the wall. A big grinning mouth of brilliantly white teeth. "Ask Us How," he says without hesitation.

The dentist is impressed. Then he makes the mistake of asking St. Nick what he's learning about. This is a sampling of what St. Nick discussed: Ancient Egypt, the pyramids which were tombs for the pharaoh and built by the Hebrews who were whipped because they were slaves. And Moses who was sent to lead them out of slavery. And the ten plagues (he named eight of the ten). And our indoor garden (bean plants in a windowbox). And his sense of sight and how his pupil gets big in the dark but shrinks when he turns the light on.

This is why I had to sit in the waiting room with Mud Pie (who ate nearly a whole pack of graham crackers) and Little Fish for so long.

But the dentist was impressed, his staff was impressed, and everyone was amazed a homeschooled kid could be so socially competent and such a, well, a smartypants at just five years of age.

My smartypants

And this just three days after LoonyMom was not so smart, and when asked why she homeschools said something along the lines of, "Uhhhhhh."