Note:  The fact that I am making a new post does not absolve you of the responsibility to comment on my last post.  Go do that now, and then come back.  And don't forget to notice that Cheez (aka SoyCheez) also has a new pic at the top of the blog.  She always hated the old one.

I received a very nice compliment the other day.  We had gone to one of our "Will Work For Food" places, as I call them; that is, one of three eating establishments where Huz has done sign work and as payment, we get to eat free.  This particular one happens to be a new coffee/sandwich shop and, unfortunately, there are rarely any other customers there, even on a Friday night.  Which is why Huz takes us there often-- so that we can get our free food while there's still gettin' to be had.

And no, in case you're wondering, SoyCheez can't eat the food (although she can have a plain coffee).  She either brings her own food or stays home.  In this case she had stayed home, and we had brought along a friend of Spaz & Fuzz'.

Anyway.  On this particular evening, there was another customer in the shop: a very nice older gentlemen who apparently had severe Tourette's or something; I'm not sure and of course we did not ask.  He had such a nice personality that we quickly got beyond his random body movements.  When we first came into the shop, we merely exchanged smiles with him, but that eventually progressed into chitchat.  The coffee shop/deli is not big, and so our tables were close enough for us to converse as we ate.  The kids were at one table, Huz & I at another, and the older gentleman at a third table.

We had only exchanged a few remarks when out of the blue he asked me, "Do you homeschool?"

I was surprised at the randomness of the question, but replied, "Yes, I do."  He then proceeded to explain that he knew another homeschooling family and that their children were very polite and well-behaved.  "Oh," said I.  "I wondered what would make you ask that."

"Well," said he, "your children are so well-behaved and polite, and they don't seem to have had the negative influence of public school."

Now before my non-homeschooling readers click away in a huff, let me insert a few remarks of my own here.  First of all, interestingly enough, one of the children to whom this gentleman referred actually is a public-schooled child-- he was not at that time aware that only two of those three children were actually ours.  Second, I am well-acquainted with many well-behaved, polite public school children.  And third, a child's behavior has far more to do with his home environment than with his school situation.  Not that a poorly behaved child is necessarily the result of poor parenting, but behavior often has little to do with whether or where a child goes to school.  Good behavior is not a homeschooling thing; it's a parenting thing.

Which, by the way, probably explains why my children are not, for the most part, actually well-behaved and polite.  Nonetheless, they were giving that impression. 

So this gentleman remarked that my children were well-behaved and polite, and he attributed that directly to the influence of homeschooling.  Which means he attributed it indirectly to my hard work and efforts.  All analyses and caveats aside, I'll take that as a compliment any day.

I know I beamed.  I hope I said thank you.  I did comment that only two of them were mine and that they weren't always well-behaved and polite.  (To which he replied, "Well, that's good, too."  In other words, at least they're normal.)

Now I don't know about you, but I don't get comments like that too often.  I don't think we've ever been a poster family for the homeschool community.  Not even close.  My kids are great kids, but they really are not the outstandingly well-mannered children who inspire comments such as, "Oh, what lovely children; they must be homeschooled."  They'd be more likely to inspire comments from the people who do have those types of children-- comments like, "I can't believe they're homeschooled!  Such a disgrace to the movement!  I hope no one thinks all homeschooled kids are like that..."   OK, I exaggerate a bit, but you get the point.

And so I often think to myself, "Why do I homeschool anyway?  It makes no difference in my kids' lives."  Well, maybe and maybe not.  This gentleman seems to think that it does.  And I may as well choose to believe him.

It is so easy to focus on everything I have done wrong as a parent.  And it is so nice to be reminded every so often that maybe I have done some things right.  After all, if a stranger is so impressed with my children as to comment about it, well, I guess maybe I haven't done so poorly after all.

So you understand, don't you, why five days later I am still beaming.