Talking Points

I own a small (very small!) homeschooling list.

aside: I hate thinking of it in ownership terms. Is there something else I could use?

Anyway. I have a list of daily talking points for the list. Nothing brilliant, just items to make you think about your day -- what you've done, where you're going with it, how it could be better.

I only realized it recently, but it truly stems from the same sort of talking points that I use with my children during the bednight rituals. When I am tucking them in for the night, I ask them some sort of question to get a conversation moving. Sometimes it's as simple as "what's your favorite color and why?" and sometimes it's a little more thought provoking, like "how did you feel when you saw that child crying in Target when his mom yelled at him?" It's probably my favorite part of tucking them in. I always end with "what was the best thing about today?" because I want them to go to sleep thinking about the good things that happened, not whatever rotten stuff they had to wade through.

On the list it's called the "Yay of the Day," and it is sent through around 9 pm EST because, just like with the urchins, I want my friends to recognize and acknowledge the good part of the day. Sometimes people put things like "my son doesn't have to have braces! YAY!" Sometimes it's actually school related like "my daughter has worked past her math block! YES!!" Of course, no one is required to play along, but most do. It's a nice feeling to see other people trying to see the bright side of things, and other people trying to encourage them in it.

I always tell people that I am a cynic -- and oh, yes, I am quite cynical -- but I wonder if I am secretly an optimist.

Don't tell anyone.