I Got What I Needed

"You went to school to learn, girl/ Things you never, never knew before." - "ABC" by The Jackson 5

Friday morning as I was driving the girls to school, we had a conversation about college. Their father is going back to school to get his MBA, so the five-year-old asked what grade her dad was in, which led to the topic of different degrees. The seven-year-old asked me if I had a doctorate, and our conversation went a little something like this:

Shannon: No, I don't have a doctorate.
Seven: Why not?
Five: Because she's not a doctor, she's a teacher.
Shannon: Well, teachers can have doctorates too, but I have my associates degree. I graduated college at that point because I got what I needed.
Five: Yeah, you got us.
Seven: That's right. You need us just like we need you.

I had to use every ounce of self-control I had not to burst into tears in the school driveway. Sometimes children just get things on a different level, a deeper one, than adults think of at first. That is a moment I hope to never forget.