Comment-allez vous?

One of the things I like about being a stepparent is the notion that I'm helping to shape my kids' lives for the better.

Recently, my stepdaughter told me she wanted to learn French. Despite her friends' probability of taking Spanish in high school, she secretly wants to take French. I admire the girl. She likes to stick with the crowd but will often surprise you with a few revelations.

Having taken four years of French in high school and then another four years of it in college, I'd had enough elementary French rambling around in my brain (as well as a French 101 textbook) to teach her.

Her brother has hopped in to our lessons and now we try to speak as much French as we can when we see each other.

Maybe it's my own self-validation, but seeing the excitement in their eyes when they've learned a new French word feels good. I feel like I've fulfilled some sort of stepparent obligation to teach them something no one else in our family could.

And that is...tres bien avec moi.