Melanie Ilsley

We are very, very new at this, but we have found so far, that when people find we are
"homeschooling"(we don't use unschooling unless we know we will be supported) they ask
my 8 yr old what she learned today. I actually heard one parent ask her if she was just being
bored so I could "get her to do work". People we don't know ask my daughter what she did at
home for school today. While some questions are not meant negatively( a lot are, not a
supportive group of people here) they make my daughter uncomfortable, we are just started
deschooling and she is a bit nervous about it. She decided to tell people that what she is
doing for school is between her and her mom. That seems to work, when parents ask me, I
tell them that we are working on what would work best for us. Her best friend from school
has parents that are really pushy, they are skipping their daughter to 4th grade, even though
she has told them she doesn't want to. We try to avoid them as much as possible, but I don't
want to isolate her from her friends, they have been best friends since preschool. Any
suggestions on how to handle ?'s and comments?

By the way I seem to be coming up with new ?'s everyday, you are all so patient and
supportive, I appreciate it. Melanie in Vermont

lora kirkpatrick

Hi Melanie, I get the same thing. I homeschool/unschool my three kids 7 yr old b/g twins and 3 year old daughter. I actually have family who whenever we get together will say, so what have you guys learned today, why dont you read this for me etc. as if to test them. I do get the same from others. I was at the grocery store and the check out lady said dont you kids have school today and they said we dont go to school we learn at home and she said wow then why are you at the store in the middle of the school day. I (who usually can get pretty rude if needed) just ignored her.

Melanie Ilsley <us5@...> wrote: We are very, very new at this, but we have found so far, that when people find we are
"homeschooling"(we don't use unschooling unless we know we will be supported) they ask
my 8 yr old what she learned today. I actually heard one parent ask her if she was just being
bored so I could "get her to do work". People we don't know ask my daughter what she did at
home for school today. While some questions are not meant negatively( a lot are, not a
supportive group of people here) they make my daughter uncomfortable, we are just started
deschooling and she is a bit nervous about it. She decided to tell people that what she is
doing for school is between her and her mom. That seems to work, when parents ask me, I
tell them that we are working on what would work best for us. Her best friend from school
has parents that are really pushy, they are skipping their daughter to 4th grade, even though
she has told them she doesn't want to. We try to avoid them as much as possible, but I don't
want to isolate her from her friends, they have been best friends since preschool. Any
suggestions on how to handle ?'s and comments?

By the way I seem to be coming up with new ?'s everyday, you are all so patient and
supportive, I appreciate it. Melanie in Vermont






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Joanne

Hi Melanie,

I think what you posted, about it "being between her and her mom" is
a great answer. Or how about suggesting that she tell them about
something she's interested in.

My daughter Shawna thinks it great fun to tell people that
ask..."I'm to cool for school". I'm not sure where she got that
from, maybe she made it up but it's kinda funny. Or lately when
people ask her what school she goes to, instead of saying she's
homeschooled, she tells them she doesn't go to school. They usually
get a weird look on their face because she's 10 year old. I think
she just likes to see their expression. LOL

Jacqueline on the other hand will go into great details about how
she's teaching herself all about the solar system or how she's
learning Italian on her own.

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/


--- In [email protected], "Melanie Ilsley" <us5@...>
wrote:
>
> We are very, very new at this, but we have found so far, that when
people find we are
> "homeschooling"(we don't use unschooling unless we know we will be
supported) they ask
> my 8 yr old what she learned today. I actually heard one parent
ask her if she was just being
> bored so I could "get her to do work". People we don't know ask
my daughter what she did at
> home for school today. While some questions are not meant
negatively( a lot are, not a
> supportive group of people here) they make my daughter
uncomfortable, we are just started
> deschooling and she is a bit nervous about it. She decided to
tell people that what she is
> doing for school is between her and her mom. That seems to work,
when parents ask me, I
> tell them that we are working on what would work best for us. Her
best friend from school
> has parents that are really pushy, they are skipping their
daughter to 4th grade, even though
> she has told them she doesn't want to. We try to avoid them as
much as possible, but I don't
> want to isolate her from her friends, they have been best friends
since preschool. Any
> suggestions on how to handle ?'s and comments?
>
> By the way I seem to be coming up with new ?'s everyday, you are
all so patient and
> supportive, I appreciate it. Melanie in Vermont
>

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/3/2006 11:08:43 PM Eastern Standard Time,
loribrooketimothy@... writes:
Any
suggestions on how to handle ?'s and comments?

If the questions are coming from well meaning family and friends then I might
consider offering explanations about freedom and unschooling. If the
questions are coming from nosey strangers or well acting, intrusive, judgmental
family or friends I offer very little if any response. Sometimes a chuckle is
enough of a response to end invasive questioning.



<< I was at the grocery store and the check out lady said dont you kids have
school today and they said we dont go to school we learn at home and she said
wow then why are you at the store in the middle of the school day. I (who
usually can get pretty rude if needed) just ignored her. >>


We get a lot of questions, too. My children are 8, 6 and 2 and I have
noticed that this year more than ever we are getting asked by all kinds of
strangers. Almost daily. The older they get the more people wonder why they aren't in
school. If one is rude enough to ask beyond the initial "No school today?"
question, like the lady did to your daughter, my favorite response is: The
children have a highly contagious infection so we have been banned from attending
our usual activities. Its called inquisitivitis. Then we all giggle and
sneeze.

A quick response to no school today is -- I don't know.

If my children are made to feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable by an
inquisitive stranger I usually protect them by pulling them close and sometimes
getting between them and the interrogator. An elderly lady bugged my dd so I
grabbed my daughter and praised her for not talking to strangers. We both
smiled and I thanked the lady for bagging. I think some people just don't
realize what they are doing. For a milder approach to the not-so-bright I respond -
Our family homeschools. If someone asked us why we were in the store in the
middle of the day I might say - We're shopping.

Try to keep a sense of humor about it. As my kids get older they are coming
up with their own responses. No school today?

There isn't?


I love "I'm too cool for school" that someone posted. My kids will love that
one.

Take it all with a grain of salt. You are doing what you know is best for
your family.

Peace and joy,
Robin in MA


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/4/2006 7:45:51 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
ohpurple1@... writes:

I was at the grocery store and the check out lady said dont you kids have
school today and they said we dont go to school we learn at home and she
said
wow then why are you at the store in the middle of the school day. I (who
usually can get pretty rude if needed) just ignored her. >>



*************

Say "we are on an economics field trip" and for fun add "poor kids in school
don't get to do really educational trips like this!"

Or "we are training them to be check-out ladies".

OK, that one was catty. :)

Leslie in SC



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Joyce Fetteroll

On Mar 3, 2006, at 5:28 PM, Melanie Ilsley wrote:

> People we don't know ask my daughter what she did at
> home for school today.

I always just say "We follow her interests." Then maybe your daughter
can come up with a list of things that interest her to be prepared.

Joyce

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/4/2006 9:25:22 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

Say "we are on an economics field trip" and for fun add "poor kids in
school
don't get to do really educational trips like this!"

Or "we are training them to be check-out ladies".

OK, that one was catty. :)

Leslie in SC



*******************
I used to like to tell people when they asked about curriculum that we were
doing Multicultural Vocational Training -- we were going to teach him to ask
"Do you want fries with that?" in thirteen languages. It tended to break the
ice and make people laugh, and they were much more receptive to hearing what
our lives were REALLY like.

My favorite one was when Julian was just out of school, after we pulled him
out after third grade. Most people were very supportive, but one woman, the
mother of one of his friends who was also a School Board member, was very
negative.

We ran into her at the library, where Julian was looking at the computer
catalog for books. She came over and snottily asked how the homeschooling was
going. Well, before I could say a word, Julian, who had recently read The Giver,
which led to his interest in other utopian novels, said, excitedly, "Great!
I'm looking for more utopian things to read, and the computer mentioned
Plato's Republic, but my mom said that might be a bit much for me right now, so
I'm looking for more stuff!"

Darlene muttered something like "how nice," and quickly walked off. I just
laughed, looked at Julian, and said, "Good answer!"

Kathryn

Come to the Northeast Unschooling Conference, Memorial Day Weekend, May
26-28, 2006 in Peabody, Massachusetts! www.NortheastUnschoolingConference.com



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Paige

"" If one is rude enough to ask beyond the initial "No school today?"
> question, like the lady did to your daughter, my favorite response
is: The
> children have a highly contagious infection so we have been banned
from attending
> our usual activities. Its called inquisitivitis. Then we all
giggle and
> sneeze.""

I LOVE this one!! I might borrow it and start using it.
We are VERY seldom asked. A man once asked me if I was a teacher (I
was book-shopping) and I told him yes. He then asked what grade I
taught...I said something like, "All of them." He looked at me SO
funny! :)
The only problem we have had from family was my SIL (BIL's wife), who
works for the Department of Social Services....not the kind of person
you want to get on the bad side of....she used to ALWAYS try to get my
girls to read or something every time we saw her. Thankfully, she has
a kid of her own now and has lost interest in mine. My oldest started
reading at 4, so it wasn't that she couldn't read, just irritating,
you know?
I am having such fun following this thread...some of you are just SO
funny! I especially liked the "ask "Do you want fries with that?" in
thirteen languages. I'll have to give these to DH so he can read
them, he'll get a big kick out of them, also.
:)Paige

Jessica

Hi Joanne:

I saw your note on the unschooling basics list & was wondering how your daughter is teaching herself Italian? One of my boys wants to learn German (he just mentioned it a few days ago) and it would be good to find some resources for him... I'd love some suggestions from you!

I loved what you said about your DD telling people she doesn't go to school, maybe just to see the expressions on their faces... <lol>

We're new to unschooling & homeschooling having just pulled our oldest 3 out of public school after the school year ended last May... at first we tried to do the Robinson Curriculum and I had so much trouble getting them to do the math (Saxon math) and writing that I let up on it.. we were about to move anyway so I figured we could start with "curriculum stuff" after the move & that they'd learn plenty through the process of renovating the house... well, we've been here since a couple of days before Christmas and since then I came to the conclusion that unschooling/interest led would be best for us... <grin>

> Jacqueline on the other hand will go into great details about how
> she's teaching herself all about the solar system or how she's
> learning Italian on her own.

re: easy states to homeschool in.. I know Texas & Oklahoma are easy states to homeschool in... they say what subjects need to be covered, but no one checks.... I simply had to send the boys' old school a letter informing them that I was withdrawing them to teach them at home and when we moved, we did not have to let anyone know... the only way we'll have to communicate with the school system is if they come & talk to us & I would try sending them a letter & if necessary, I can get help from the THSC (Tx homeschool coalition)...

Hopefully it'll remain that way, but I've heard that there are some people trying to get this changed so that people will have to account, ugh...

Cheers,

Jessica in north Texas

http://weavingrainbow.com/HSblog

Joanne

--- In [email protected], Jessica
<patchworkgirl@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Joanne:
>
> I saw your note on the unschooling basics list & was wondering how
your daughter is teaching herself Italian? One of my boys wants to
learn German (he just mentioned it a few days ago) and it would be
good to find some resources for him... I'd love some suggestions
from you!

Hey Jessica :-)

I started telling my kids some simple words in Italian and
Jacqueline (age 7) wanted to know more that I remembered. My
grandparents (on both sides) were from Italy and I knew more when
they were alive and it was spoken more. I bought two different
Italian translation books (at a flea market for $1 each!) and she
reads them often. Also, if there's a specific word or phrase she
wants to know we look it up here:
http://www.freetranslation.com/
or
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
We also have a small chalk board in our kitchen and every week or
so, I'll write another phrase on there and we all spend the week
walking around saying it. LOL This week is "Amo la mia famiglia",
which means "I love my family". :-)

The words and phrases that she's teaching herself are ones that she
uses in her daily life because she wants to be able to use it. So
it's common for her to answer me in Italian when I ask something
like "Are you hungry?", she'll answer "Si madre". Or in the morning
she'll say "Boun giorno" instead of good morning.

I hope some of this helps!
Learning another language is fun!

>>>>>We're new to unschooling & homeschooling having just pulled our
oldest 3 out of public school after the school year ended last
May... at first we tried to do the Robinson Curriculum and I had so
much trouble getting them to do the math (Saxon math) and writing
that I let up on it.>>>>>>>>

Congratulaions on the decision to take your kids out of school! I
took my three out, one at a time, over a 4 months period starting in
Dec. of 2004.

I took a look at your blog. Aren't they fun? :-)

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/

Donna Pedaci

Hello! I just joined this list a few days ago. I have two daughters, ages 7 and 3. We are learning Japanese together and we found a great website for vocabulary in 11 different languages, including both German and Italian

http://www.languageguide.org/

You just run your cursor over the pictures and there is both audio as well as text. It's been a great way for us to learn pronunciation, as I do not speak Japanese myself, we are all starting from the beginning.

Babelfish is fine for single words, but you want to be careful using if for phrases, as it often results in gibberish. In fact, it can be a rather funny exercise to translate a phrase from say English to German, then back to English.

Donna Pedaci


----- Original Message -----
From: Joanne
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 10:58 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: unschooling ?'s from people


--- In [email protected], Jessica
<patchworkgirl@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Joanne:
>
> I saw your note on the unschooling basics list & was wondering how
your daughter is teaching herself Italian? One of my boys wants to
learn German (he just mentioned it a few days ago) and it would be
good to find some resources for him... I'd love some suggestions
from you!

Hey Jessica :-)

I started telling my kids some simple words in Italian and
Jacqueline (age 7) wanted to know more that I remembered. My
grandparents (on both sides) were from Italy and I knew more when
they were alive and it was spoken more. I bought two different
Italian translation books (at a flea market for $1 each!) and she
reads them often. Also, if there's a specific word or phrase she
wants to know we look it up here:
http://www.freetranslation.com/
or
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
We also have a small chalk board in our kitchen and every week or
so, I'll write another phrase on there and we all spend the week
walking around saying it. LOL This week is "Amo la mia famiglia",
which means "I love my family". :-)

The words and phrases that she's teaching herself are ones that she
uses in her daily life because she wants to be able to use it. So
it's common for her to answer me in Italian when I ask something
like "Are you hungry?", she'll answer "Si madre". Or in the morning
she'll say "Boun giorno" instead of good morning.

I hope some of this helps!
Learning another language is fun!



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Joanne

Thanks for the link. I actually had one with voice one saved on my
computer...we used it a few times but I think I lost it.

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/


--- In [email protected], "Donna Pedaci" <donna@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello! I just joined this list a few days ago. I have two
daughters, ages 7 and 3. We are learning Japanese together and we
found a great website for vocabulary in 11 different languages,
including both German and Italian
>
> http://www.languageguide.org/
>
> You just run your cursor over the pictures and there is both audio
as well as text. It's been a great way for us to learn
pronunciation, as I do not speak Japanese myself, we are all
starting from the beginning.
>
> Babelfish is fine for single words, but you want to be careful
using if for phrases, as it often results in gibberish. In fact, it
can be a rather funny exercise to translate a phrase from say
English to German, then back to English.
>
> Donna Pedaci
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Joanne
> To: [email protected]
> Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 10:58 PM
> Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Re: unschooling ?'s from people
>
>
> --- In [email protected], Jessica
> <patchworkgirl@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Joanne:
> >
> > I saw your note on the unschooling basics list & was wondering
how
> your daughter is teaching herself Italian? One of my boys wants
to
> learn German (he just mentioned it a few days ago) and it would
be
> good to find some resources for him... I'd love some suggestions
> from you!
>
> Hey Jessica :-)
>
> I started telling my kids some simple words in Italian and
> Jacqueline (age 7) wanted to know more that I remembered. My
> grandparents (on both sides) were from Italy and I knew more
when
> they were alive and it was spoken more. I bought two different
> Italian translation books (at a flea market for $1 each!) and
she
> reads them often. Also, if there's a specific word or phrase she
> wants to know we look it up here:
> http://www.freetranslation.com/
> or
> http://babelfish.altavista.com/
> We also have a small chalk board in our kitchen and every week
or
> so, I'll write another phrase on there and we all spend the week
> walking around saying it. LOL This week is "Amo la mia
famiglia",
> which means "I love my family". :-)
>
> The words and phrases that she's teaching herself are ones that
she
> uses in her daily life because she wants to be able to use it.
So
> it's common for her to answer me in Italian when I ask something
> like "Are you hungry?", she'll answer "Si madre". Or in the
morning
> she'll say "Boun giorno" instead of good morning.
>
> I hope some of this helps!
> Learning another language is fun!
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
> a.. Visit your group "unschoolingbasics" on the web.
>
> b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
> c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms
of Service.
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Joanne

Hi again Jessica...

I forgot two more things...

We also borrowed a video on the Italian language from the library
and one of the books that we bought came with a audio tape.

We also rented a few "learn Italian" DVD's from Blockbuster last
week.

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (7), Shawna (10) & Cimion (13)
Adopted into our hearts October 30, 2003
http://anunschoolinglife.blogspot.com/






--- In [email protected], Jessica
<patchworkgirl@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Joanne:
>
> I saw your note on the unschooling basics list & was wondering how
your daughter is teaching herself Italian? One of my boys wants to
learn German (he just mentioned it a few days ago) and it would be
good to find some resources for him... I'd love some suggestions
from you!
>
> I loved what you said about your DD telling people she doesn't go
to school, maybe just to see the expressions on their faces... <lol>
>
> We're new to unschooling & homeschooling having just pulled our
oldest 3 out of public school after the school year ended last
May... at first we tried to do the Robinson Curriculum and I had so
much trouble getting them to do the math (Saxon math) and writing
that I let up on it.. we were about to move anyway so I figured we
could start with "curriculum stuff" after the move & that they'd
learn plenty through the process of renovating the house... well,
we've been here since a couple of days before Christmas and since
then I came to the conclusion that unschooling/interest led would be
best for us... <grin>
>
> > Jacqueline on the other hand will go into great details about
how
> > she's teaching herself all about the solar system or how she's
> > learning Italian on her own.
>
> re: easy states to homeschool in.. I know Texas & Oklahoma are
easy states to homeschool in... they say what subjects need to be
covered, but no one checks.... I simply had to send the boys' old
school a letter informing them that I was withdrawing them to teach
them at home and when we moved, we did not have to let anyone
know... the only way we'll have to communicate with the school
system is if they come & talk to us & I would try sending them a
letter & if necessary, I can get help from the THSC (Tx homeschool
coalition)...
>
> Hopefully it'll remain that way, but I've heard that there are
some people trying to get this changed so that people will have to
account, ugh...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jessica in north Texas
>
> http://weavingrainbow.com/HSblog
>

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/4/2006 7:45:47 AM Eastern Standard Time,
ohpurple1@... writes:


> << I was at the grocery store and the check out lady said dont you kids
> have
> school today and they said we dont go to school we learn at home and she
> said
> wow then why are you at the store in the middle of the school day. I (who
> usually can get pretty rude if needed) just ignored her. >>
>

****I would have been tempted to say "We are learning all the time in AND out
of our home and this has actually just turned into a lesson on MANNERS, or
should I say, lack of!

Nancy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Deb Lewis

***People we don't know ask my daughter what she did at home for school
today.***

They're not singling you out. <g> People who don't really know what to
say to kids ask about school. Public school kids get it all the time.
"What did you do in school today?" or "What did you learn in school
today?" or "What's your favorite subject?"

Lots of adults, lots and lots of adults don't think about kids lives as
interesting or important. What they know is kids go to school. So, they
ask about school.

One thing helped Dylan answer questions. He took their queries about
school or learning or favorite subjects to mean "What are you doing these
days?" or "What are you interested in these days?" Then he could
answer, "trains, dinosaurs, kites, origami, swimming, karate,..."
whatever he was having fun with.

Many times a questioner would get excited about Dylan's interest and was
then able to converse like a real person.<g>

Deb Lewis

dana_burdick

The first year we homeschooled we got many questions from people
when we were out and about during school hours. I'm sure it
happened gradually, but one day I commented to a friend that for
some reason the kids and I didn't get questioned anymore. She had
observed the same thing with her family. I proposed the idea that
in the first days of our alternative life style, that we may have
felt vulnerable. And, without knowing it, we were inviting the
questions/comments from strangers with our subtle cues and body
language. In reality, I believe that we wanted to be asked
questions. We needed a wall of sorts to bounce off our beliefs and
convictions. Somehow we needed to declare to the world (and not
just our fellow unschoolers), "Here we are! We're real and our
beliefs about how children learn are sound and true."

I too fanaticized about the quick comebacks and cute quips. After
awhile, I noticed that the fantasies were no longer there, nor was
my need to make bold statements to strangers' inquiries.

As time passed our days no longer seemed "alternative" to us in the
least. So while we may still get questions from strangers, they are
quickly answered, short and to the point. Now we are more likely
engage in conversation with the clerk or sales person in a more
genuine fashion. With the children it makes it all the more fun.
I'm always amazed when I'm open and not hurried how strangers want
to share with the kids and engage them in real conversation.


-Dana

Melanie Ilsley

i am not sure how you clap in text...but i am. melanie in vt--- In
[email protected], barndogzzz@... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 3/4/2006 7:45:47 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> ohpurple1@... writes:
>
>
> > << I was at the grocery store and the check out lady said dont you kids
> > have
> > school today and they said we dont go to school we learn at home and she
> > said
> > wow then why are you at the store in the middle of the school day. I (who
> > usually can get pretty rude if needed) just ignored her. >>
> >
>
> ****I would have been tempted to say "We are learning all the time in AND out
> of our home and this has actually just turned into a lesson on MANNERS, or
> should I say, lack of!
>
> Nancy
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Melanie Ilsley

-i know i am posting a ton today, but I keep reading and keep wanting to write, so I will. I
can't wait till we get to the point you are at, already just getting out of school has make
our life less stressed. Melanie in vt-- In [email protected],
"dana_burdick" <DanaBurdick@...> wrote:
>
> The first year we homeschooled we got many questions from people
> when we were out and about during school hours. I'm sure it
> happened gradually, but one day I commented to a friend that for
> some reason the kids and I didn't get questioned anymore. She had
> observed the same thing with her family. I proposed the idea that
> in the first days of our alternative life style, that we may have
> felt vulnerable. And, without knowing it, we were inviting the
> questions/comments from strangers with our subtle cues and body
> language. In reality, I believe that we wanted to be asked
> questions. We needed a wall of sorts to bounce off our beliefs and
> convictions. Somehow we needed to declare to the world (and not
> just our fellow unschoolers), "Here we are! We're real and our
> beliefs about how children learn are sound and true."
>
> I too fanaticized about the quick comebacks and cute quips. After
> awhile, I noticed that the fantasies were no longer there, nor was
> my need to make bold statements to strangers' inquiries.
>
> As time passed our days no longer seemed "alternative" to us in the
> least. So while we may still get questions from strangers, they are
> quickly answered, short and to the point. Now we are more likely
> engage in conversation with the clerk or sales person in a more
> genuine fashion. With the children it makes it all the more fun.
> I'm always amazed when I'm open and not hurried how strangers want
> to share with the kids and engage them in real conversation.
>
>
> -Dana
>

Melanie Ilsley

10405 is the message number about responding to ?'s, the first post was mine, and really
won't help answer ?'s but if you follow the thread everyone had some great suggestions, and
some hilarious tidbits. Also just hearing that other people had ? from outsiders and how they
handled it made me feel better. Hope they help, they should at least make you smile.
Melanie in Vt(mom to Lily 8, Grace 5 and Emmett 5)