Since I write this column at home, school holidays are always a problem. It's impossible to get any work done with my kids hanging around. One day during the recent winter holidays, I complained about feeling pressured. The deadline for today's column was looming, but I didn't even have a topic.

"Write about our hamsters," my younger son suggested.

I rolled my eyes. "I write an education column. How can I possibly write about our hamsters?"