Scary Cousin Terry

I have really enjoyed going through all of the pictures my dad sent to me for Christmas.  It's great to look back on Christmases past and see the family...well, most of the family.  I have a scary cousin Terry.  He's really my second cousin, but still too close in the gene pool for comfort.  In deference to the fact that Scary Terry is still alive I won't post his real picture, but he really does look a lot like Charles Manson.

It's the eyes that remind me of Terry...and the scary goatee.

I got to thinking about what made Cousin Terry so scary.  My mom said she first started being a little weirded out when she noticed that although he was over 30 years old he always wanted to go play Barbies with me in Grandma's bedroom.  Alone.  She wasn't weirded out enough to actually stop him, just enough to check on me regularly.

My brother thinks that it was Cousin Terry's weird stare that made him so scary.  He would just stare at you with these hooded eyes and then kind of smile.

For me it was the smile.  Whenever I looked at Terry he was smiling at me.  Just smiling.  I don't remember him ever actually saying anything to me, just that little smile.  It gives me the willies just thinking about it.

I realize that every family must have a scary member.  Even the Brady Bunch vilified poor Jan, making her wear wigs, glasses, and 2 tiny curls on either side of her forehead just to show that she was the Scary One.

Again, look at the eyes!  (No goatee, thank God)

Who is the scary member of your family?  If it's you, that's okay, name it and claim it.  After all, even Jan Brady ended up selling her bike to save the Brady Kids' gift to Mrs. Brady.  As for Scary Cousin Terry...I think he may still be an elementary school teacher...