Everyone has a favorite family member, whether you want to admit it or not. There’s that one grandma who you hug a little tighter. That uncle that makes you laugh a little harder than the others. For me, I have an amazing aunt who I love a little extra.
1. You loved me like I was your daughter, but you never had to punish me like I was.
Of course I misbehaved when I was with you. You let me stay up to late watching Veggie Tales with you. You pretended not to notice when I took a cookie before dinner. And, you let me run away in the museum because you just chased me as though we were going on an adventure. Hanging out with you meant there was an exception to every rule.
2. You gave me the best stories to use against mom.
You had the advantage of knowing mom when she was young and stupid! I’ve only known her as mom-who-can-do-no-wrong. When you told me about the time she got drunk at a high school sleepover and threw up it helped me to see her as a human. Once I realized that she wasn’t perfect, I realized it was OK to come to her with my problems. And, making fun of her is pretty worth it, too.
3. You invested in making memories with me.
Every chance you had to take me to the park or a museum or jump on the trampoline with me, you did! You never missed an opportunity to babysit me. Every time you came over to watch me you would turn the music up really loud and play freeze dance until I couldn’t stand up anymore, and then we would watch Veggie Tales until we passed out. Every minute spent with you was and is jam-packed with fun and love. I’ll never forget even one of them.
4. You came to everything.
Whether it was a dumb middle school musical that you hated, or a high school choir concert that you always said was too long, or a football game that I was marching in even though it was 40 degrees, or my best friend leaving me for the cooler girls, you were there of all it. You’d do a million things that you hated if it meant that you got to see me happy.
5. Now that I’m older, you are one of my very best friends.
You take me to get my nails done and genuinely care about what is going on in my life. You care that I struggle to pay room and board. You care that I want to get married even though you never did. I can lay on your bed for hours talking about “adulting” and how much we both hate it. When I have the worst day you always have an open couch cushion and a cup of tea ready for me. Life wouldn’t be the same without the greatest aunt in the world by my side.
The next time you come across your favorite aunt, hug her a little longer and tell her, “I love you a lot. Always have, always will.”
