I must get that from my mother

When I was a little girl, my mother was in the young women's. I swear she was in there for most of my mortal existence but probably more just a few years, if I'm realistic. I remember staying at grandma and grandpa's if she was at girls' camp or youth conference or going with her to activities. I remember all the girls who came to babysit for me and Meg. Leita, Connie, Lorretta, Rhonda- who can forget Rhonda? My dad supported her in her calling and it was part of our lives.

My mother had a friend, who I shall refer to as Fred, who seemed to always be in the thick of it with my mother. I don't know if Fred was in the YW or if she was just there for moral support. Regardless, my mother had a wild hair, I guess I should call it. If the young women wanted to go toilet papering, they came calling. If they wanted help pranking someone at youth conference, my mother was contacted. And, in fact, my mother instigated some of those things. For fear of remembering incorrectly, I won't repeat what I know, but I seem to recall one specific incident that involved marshmallows and showers. The girls loved my mom and would do things in return. One morning we woke to a barricade on our front porch. Me- being the morning person that I am, just KNEW it was the recently launched satellite and it had landed in our front yard. No- just a street barricade.

My mother would also do things like tie a pink hair net around her perfectly combed hair and blast Amy Grant's Sing Your Praise to the Lord, while driving around in our topless mustard yellow 1974 Chevy Blazer. Priceless. On 13th East, there used to be a small hill on the right side of the road, that when hit just right, would send you launched like a ride at Lagoon. Of course, my mother would fly over it every week coming home from piano lessons. Being that we drove a Cadillac the size of Rhode Island, there was plenty of safe flying room. Yes, my mother taught me a lot of useful skills during those days.

Now that I'm older and have nieces and nephews and some other variety of kids in my life, I get such a kick out of doing things like that with them. Meg and I blasted our favorite Faith Hill tune "If my heart had wings" while driving Molly and Nancy to a movie in Chicago. They'd never seen their mother like that and we just giggled, just like our mom used to do. I love to take kids sidewalk chalking and drive fast over small hills. I get such a kick out of having a good time as an adult acting like a kid.

Some of the women in our neighborhood disapproved of the Amy Grant and the toilet papering. I get some people disapproving of me, too. But its such a small thing and harms no one. If it makes those kids smile for a moment, its totally worth it. So yes, I must get that from my mother.