We earn different titles throughout our life, and each stage brings a new title to the table. Whether it’s: Daughter. Sister. Friend. Classmate. Colleague. Daughter-in-law. Niece. Gradate. Employee. Aunt. Mom. Soul Mate. or Boss Lady. Each title helps add to your identity.
When I was promoted to “Aunt”, I became like a mom…only cooler! Don’t believe me, just ask my niece! And if you ask anyone that knows me – I am mildly obsessed with her too. I found myself in complete awe of the new little lady that joined our family. She was breathtakingly beautiful and completely perfect in every way. From day one, I was completely smitten and knew I wanted us to have a special bond (so, yeah…I whispered “I’m your favorite” in her tiny little ear from day one…can you blame me?). Anyway, every month, for the first year or so, I made sure to visit and spend as much time with her as possible. We’re blessed that she lives close enough to spend quality time over the weekend, but far enough we need to give a warning when we’re on our way. Visiting often helped me grow and learn many new aspects of my new role as “aunt,” and dare I say it…my little niece helped develop me for many of my future roles…and here’s how:
Unconditional Love
This seems like a given; however, the love that comes when your family receives one of the greatest gifts from above is insurmountable. The unconditional love came flooding over me like a wave from the moment my eyes locked in on her. Looking at my niece helped me focus on what was truly important. She helped me find myself. I know that sounds crazy, but without focusing on myself for the first time in my life, I was able to move forward and gain additional titles. She’s quite impressive, right?!? I bet you think so too, and you probably haven’t even met her!
Balancing Act
Living close enough to this sweet girl, and her parents, who willingly shared her with me frequently, helped me work on scheduling time away from my responsibilities in MN and travel for the weekend. Specifically and intentionally carving time into my routine was easily proven necessary in order to help develop that special relationship I so desperately wanted with my niece. I volunteered to take days off to help with scheduling challenges and continue to make sure my niece always knows how special and important she is in my life.
Clothes
Oh the girl clothes!! One of my favorite parts of being an aunt to a little girl…the clothes! My niece LOVES dresses and all things with glitter. And my role, the enabler, is to buy the cutest things and surprise her with them. Being an aunt allows me to purchase things on my schedule, things she doesn’t necessarily NEED but should have because it fits her personality to a “t”.
Awesome
To sum it all up, being an Aunt has been…well…AWESOME! I’m able to share in all the joy of her accomplishments and growth, fill her full of sugar, and allow crazy [sometimes loud] activities to happen without that messy discipline portion of parenting that no one really enjoys. I am able to get excited with her when her new little brother joined their family or when she became a cousin to my son. I’ve been blessed by having one of each…a niece and a nephew! Full of vim and vigor and a perfect compliment to one another. They have both added more than I ever imagined to our family.
I am beyond blessed to have earned the title of “aunt” first, for my niece helped prepare my heart and mind for upcoming titles. How have little ones changed your family? Your heart? Your mind? Your soul?
