Daughter shows up dad in shopping for groceries

Some people are born athletes. Others are born shoppers.

Our oldest daughter, Becca, falls into the latter. She could shop until she drops, and that would take awhile.

She has that shopping gene just like her mom.

Becca likes to shop for just about anything -- clothes, shoes, even groceries.

Personally, I don't like to go grocery shopping. Of course, I like to eat. But navigating through all those aisles at the supermarket is a major chore.

You need a guide to get you through the maze, preferably without buying every bag of chips and dip in sight.

Joni usually does the grocery shopping. She's been reluctant to send me to the store ever since the time I came home with enough Halloween candy to give every kid in our neighborhood a permanent sugar high.

But every now and then I tackle the task.

The other night, I volunteered to pick up a few things at the supermarket. Those few things filled up an entire shopping cart.

Of course, Becca was along to help. She pushed the cart and generally guided me around the store, having first consulted with mom on just what was needed.

She clearly was in her element as she paraded down the aisle in her flip flops, a 10-year-old assured of her shopping prowess. She knew right where to find the chips, popcorn and even the shampoo. She pushed the cart with single-minded purpose as she provided running commentary on the finer points of shopping.

I tried to take the lead from time to time because, as the dad, I felt I should take charge. But Becca knew what to get. I added a few things like bug spray, paper towels and pickles. But Becca had a handle on everything else.

I was just glad to get out of the store without having to mortgage the house.

At any rate, I was thoroughly impressed at Becca's shopping skills. She didn't run over anyone in the store, which would have been likely if our 6-year-old, Bailey, was steering the cart.

Shopping is clearly a sport for gals. Guys, for the most part, are shopping challenged, particularly when it comes to buying vegetables in the frozen food aisle.

Most guys can find the six-packs and the chips, but more complicated fare requires special skills that one finds only rarely in men.

The whole idea of convenience stores is that men don't have to navigate through a huge store. They can find the beer and beef jerky right up front.

The Iceman, whose 5,000-year-old frozen mummy was uncovered in the Alps in 1991, would have loved such convenience. He would have liked the supermarket deli too.

Scientists have now concluded that the Iceman's last meals included venison and wild goat. My kids would turn up their noses at such meals, but then they have the advantage of being modern gals who know that food comes from the store.

According to researchers, the Iceman was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows and a copper ax, but apparently still didn't get a part in the "Xena: Princess Warrior" TV series.

Scientists say the Iceman may have been killed by rival hunters, something that doesn't generally happen when one shops in grocery stores where there's enough lunch meat to go around.

It's amazing what a little shopping can do for a girl's self-esteem. That's something no Iceman could ever understand, even in the frozen food aisle.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.