Truthfully, none of our family members or friends love us more unconditionally, take better care of us, or are more deserving of our gratitude and love than our parents. People have written millions of viral open letters to their moms and dads, and all those letters are accurate and well-deserved, but another set of adults in your life deserves a bit of love and gratitude, also.
Everyone has that one favorite aunt and uncle, and your relationship with them is such an important and unique part of your life as you're growing up. Your aunts and uncles, like everyone in your family, have seen some of your rougher moments (and what they didn't see, your mom most likely explained to them in detail). But while your parents and siblings had to keep on loving you, your favorite aunt and uncle chose to keep on loving you and letting you visit during and after your miserable preteen years. Sometimes they might even side with you over your parents in a disagreement, which is always appreciated.
You can make sarcastic comments and tell jokes and stories with your aunts and uncles that would make your parents raise their eyebrows at you. It's not because they are bad people -- it's just that they're not taking everything you say all that seriously. They'll also make fun of you incessantly and obnoxiously, but it's fine, because it's not like you have to put up with it every single day.
Personally, I'm forever thankful that my aunt and uncle are some of the most thoughtful and generous people I know. When I was growing up, my aunt was delighted that I loved to read so much, and she had lots of books available for me to look at. Don't get me wrong, my mom loves reading, too, and she read with me every day, but this way I accessed an even wider variety of books. My uncle would always make fun of me for being nerdy and carrying a book everywhere I went, but he still supplied me with new reading material -- I have a book I borrowed from him on my desk right now. My uncle also took me to my first college football game, which was one of my favorite experiences, ever. I've been to several games since then, but I'll always appreciate that particular memory. It made up for the fact that he also makes fun of me for liking baseball.
Your favorite aunt and uncle are so important. They do love you even when they're being sarcastic with you, and they're very proud of you. Don't forget to tell them how much you love them too.
