Now that our daughter is 3 years old, I am repeatedly asked one particular question: "Where is she going to school?"

It's not only parents with children the same age who are curious. Empty-nester acquaintances, Mainland relatives and even strangers pose the inquiry.

Naturally it is a good ice-breaker, along the lines of "What do you do?" and "Where do you live?"

However, the custom of sending keiki to preschool at age 3 or younger is so engrained in our local culture that I receive quizzical looks when I reply that our daughter is not attending preschool this year (we plan to send her at age 4).

"Is she late-born?"

"You're holding her back?"

No, and no. Given the legendarily long wait lists for certain programs, I did start looking into schools when our children were 6 months old and 2 months old, respectively. But while we continue to keep updated on the various programs, my husband and I feel that for our own keiki a year of formal schooling before kindergarten should suffice.

I realize that we have several things in our favor which make this possible. I am able to stay home with the children and have some (albeit limited) volunteer teaching experience. Both grandmothers, although on the Mainland, are teachers by training. To their credit, my husband and I somehow made it into the Ivy League despite little formal schooling before kindergarten. And between my husband and me, we have spent 42 years in school, which means learning is probably engrained in our home environment.

Still, it is not always easy to adhere to the Apple slogan: "Think Different." While home curricula are readily available, I have to fit in focused sessions when the baby naps, and learn to take advantage of teachable moments throughout the day. My creativity muscle is being stretched as I try to think up new field trips or experiences. And with the vast majority of our daughter's peers in school during the week, weekends are bunched up with social events and extracurricular classes.

Finally, I am still not quite sure how to reply to "Where is she going to school?".

Homeschooling? That sounds rather formal.

Waiting until age 4? This begs an explanation.

Nowhere? Hmm. ...

"Just tell 'em Harvard," my dad jokes, referring to my and my husband's alma mater. Until our daughter does enter school formally, that quip might just work.