I had no idea that the wise ways of my mom would slowly seep in to my subconscious and become a part of the mom I am today. I mean, heck, I was the typical truculent teen who butt heads with mom on everything from getting my own land line to getting out of another grounding. It was the family rituals my mom insisted we partake in that I took for granted at 16 years old that now I see had merit and wisdom. My mother Genie insisted that our family sit down every evening to share dinner together. My parents asked lots of direct, sometimes hard to answer questions about how we were doing in class, how theater was going or details about our last ski race or break up with a boy. They encouraged us to be animated and opinionated. I always felt they truly cared about what was going on in our lives. And as a result, I wanted to share what was going on in my life with them - something a lot of teens don't want to do. And then I read an article at the gym today talking about how just the simple request of parents asking children to be present at the dinner table every night to talk about their day keeps these kids from getting mixed up in drugs, alcohol and the wrong kind of crowds. I can attest to the fact that this mandate from mom worked - we were basically good kids. Sure we experimented but we respected our parents and wanted them to be proud of us. And we stayed out of major trouble. Mom also insisted I join her every Saturday to do the banking and grocery shopping. Some Saturdays I just wanted to curl up in bed longer but that wasn't an option. I had to go. To this day, I am still benefiting from watching her pay the bills and balance the household budget (I do it now for my family) to reading the nutrition labels on all food packages. Mom did the bulk of her shopping at CO-Ops - grinding her own peanut butter and buying feta cheese when it still floated like icebergs in big wooden barrels. She knew to stay away from artificial preservatives, low-fat gimicks and overly refined fare. We ate whole grains, whole fruits and whole vegetables. Pesto never came from a jar but from a bouquet of basil I'd bring home from Killdeer Farms. I knew my mom was smart but I had no idea that what she was teaching me as a kid would stay with me my entire life and become part of the mom I am today to Dax. I'm confident that even during his trying teenage years, he'll be present with us and he'll want us to be a part of his life. He'll always have healthy eating habits and a strong work ethic. And I'll tell him he has his wise Grandma Genie to thank for all this!