Mom-skills I hope to inherit

In every family, there are some things Mom does best, and no one else's efforts come close. Here are some things my mom does amazingly well, and I hope to do someday, too:

1 Packing. Mom has a special gift for loading the dishwasher, the car, moving boxes, even the Christmas tree. If I'm loading the dishwasher and conclude that I can't possibly fit another item inside, Mom will do some finagling and find space for not one, but two or three more things. I don't know how she does it.

2 Kitchen expertise. I can go grocery shopping and come up with a delicious home-cooked meal, but it requires some serious thought, planning and recipe-reading. Mom is so confident in the kitchen. She knows exactly what to buy at the store and how much she'll need, so she can open the cupboards or freezer and come up with an entire meal on the spot. She doesn't even need to follow a recipe. Maybe this is just what happens when you've been cooking for your family for so long. My question is, how long will it take for me to get to that point?

3 Folding a fitted sheet. I just can't, OK? I've read instructions, watched YouTube videos and had Mom demonstrate, but my fitted sheets always look like a mess, while Mom's are perfectly aligned and bundled.

4 Feeling comfortable in her own skin. I don't know how Mom rates her own self-confidence, but from my perspective, she seems so secure in who she is. She's never been one to fuss over her clothes, hair or makeup. Never have I heard her complain about her weight or appearance, or ponder the merits of various anti-aging products. She doesn't worry much about what other people are doing or what they think about her. Her approach to life must be working -- she's happy, takes joy in the little things, and she looks at least 10 years younger than she is. You go, Mom!

5 Being a fantastic wife and mother. It's difficult to put into words how much I love and look up to my mother, and how grateful I am for her role in our family (at least not in the short space allotted here). So let's put it this way: Someday I hope to be the kind of wife and mother she is: The kind who raises children who love their mom the way I do now -- even enough to brag about her in the newspaper.

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