I was treating myself to a post-dentist-appointment yogurt at the local ice cream shop Zinga (no cavities!), enjoying the beautiful spring day, when I overheard a group of young girls talking. They were probably upper middle school or high school aged; my back was to them. Were they talking about boys? Hair? Celebrities?

No. They were showing each other their report cards (or midterm grades?), and happily exclaiming about the A’s on there.

“Just look at these grades,” said Sylvia (name entirely made up – I’ve never met these young ladies). “I’m so proud!”

“You should be,” replied Grace. “Those are some hard classes, too.”

“Yeah, on the last science test I was telling Matt I got 100, and he said he got 104. Even got the extra credit,” Sylvia offered.

“Haha so I beat Matt on the English test. He wasn’t very happy about it,” Marie chimed in. The girls all laughed.

The conversation went on, easy and happy, each girl bragging about their own accomplishments and supporting each other. No parents were in sight. This was what these girls chose to talk about.

I wanted to tell them I was proud of them, too, but that would have been weird. Like, really weird. My daughter would have been mortified if she were around. And honestly, they didn’t need to hear anything from me. Their self-confidence and obvious interest in their own success will take them much further than anything an adult might say. Especially a stranger in a yogurt shop.

I remember being young and ambitious and competitive (now I’m old and ambitious and competitive). I got the high grades, took the Honors and AP classes and ended up with over a 4.0 GPA. I ended up 3rd in my high school class. I’m not sure how the boys felt about it, but I suspect they didn’t like it much either. Aside from the fact that I got no dates in high school, I didn’t care. I liked doing well, and feeling proud of myself, and making my parents proud.

I’m glad to see these young women doing the same. I have high hopes for their futures. Of course, I’ll never know. But I walked away from the yogurt shop with a smile. (And very clean teeth, thanks to the dentist.)