Reasons I Love My Mother

Reason #354:

Last year when I went to Minnesota (and my mom couldn’t make it at the last minute because she was too sick), she called me on my first night there to say hello.

As I was talking to her, I saw my Uncle David walk up the drive and I told her. She immediately asked, “Does he have his gross teeth in?”.

She was referring to those fake, messed-up teeth you can buy in novelty shops for pranks and such, and yes, he was wearing them. Every time any of us would go back to Minnesota and bring friends, my Uncle Dave (and sometimes Danny) would make a grand entrance as some confusing, backwoods lunatic. Last summer the costume also involved a jumpsuit, a weed-wacker, and a fake arm. Oh, and last year’s teeth had braces on them.

I loved that my mom instantly knew Dave would be in some insane get-up. There’s video from her 40th birthday of her and her friends being messed with by my him in those teeth; he’s singing some weird song, and just generally being ridiculous to confuse her friends. I love watching the tape of that night. She’s just laughing and laughing.

She was never the performer in her family, but she was a good sport around her brothers who were constantly pulling pranks and messing with people. I think they were more the class clowns and she was the one in the family who would sit to the side a little more shy, but then drop a one-liner or recap what just happened in a way that would make the entire room laugh.