When the New York Times interviewed Cheryl Mendelson about her new book, “Laundry: The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes and Linens,” she used a filial anecdote to convey the importance of proper laundry sorting. According to the article, published on Oct. 7, her son called her last August during the first week of his freshman year at Yale, looking for advice on how best to wash and fold his first batch of dirty laundry.

Mendelson described the phone call: “He wanted to know about separating his clothing,” she said. “He was going through his shirts — ‘What about the plaid black one? Where does that go?’ And then he wanted to know how to fold T-shirts. And I was so touched that he intended to fold them.”

Cute. We’ll spare this poor kid the humiliation of a public naming (though we can’t stop anyone from yale.edu/facebook-ing him). But a quick note to the freshman with a yearning desire for laundry proficiency: You’ve got a great mom. Call her up and tell her that. Or better yet, if she’s coming to Family Weekend, tell her in person — and don’t forget to mention that she’s welcome to help us with our laundry anytime.

Click here to read the Oct. 7 New York Times article, “The Fix: Saying ‘No’ to Dingy.”