Explains that the stories her family tells over and over again serve the purpose of building solidarity through humor, instead of fulfilling traditional folkloric purposes of warning or instruction. Discusses possible reasons why her mother is the central figure in most of her family's humorous stories. Includes several humorous stories, recorded from memory or transcribed from recordings. Created by Heather Kirby while she was enrolled in Jill Terry Rudy's English 392 class during Winter Semester 2001.