Is she trying to tell me something?

You know how the parenting experts (and other parents) say that you can find out a lot about your boy or girl from listening to them in the car?

Sometimes you can learn a lot about dad or mom, too.

On the way to the YMCA, my daughter decided to organize my kitchen. First, we'd open up the freezer-tossing all the food I'd bought two years ago and the frozen and ground zucchini from the garden that had once seemed like a brilliant soup or stew additive. After this, if there was still sunlight in the sky, we'd go on to the refrigerator.

My son (who has no idea of the work his dear sister has planned for him) will help me clear out the food cabinets, which have a great deal more half-eaten bags of tortillas and snack mix than are appropriate for a three person family (five, if you count our cats).

After we do that, we'll make labels, so that the 100-calorie snacks and the chips, the vegetarian chili and the British biscuits will have their own home-I'm sure they have been wanting it. Of course, there will be one shelf given to Mom's chocolate habit.

I must admit, I was quite taken with her ability to organize me. Now, if she would pick up the wet towel with which she washed our cat off the floor, or put her dirty clothes in the hamper instead of letting them hide in her bed or take the empty boxes out of the cupboard instead of putting them in, I'd be truly amazed...