The day my first niece was born I was only four years old. Four! I had no idea what being an aunt meant, I just thought it was like a new person to play with, but what it turned out to be is a lifetime of laughter and staying up all night talking to her. Now here we are in 2016, and I am proudly the aunt of three beautiful nieces and two handsome nephews, all ranging from 9-months old to almost 14 (Don’t worry, I have two older brothers). Watching five little lives grow up is something irreplaceable.
Here is what Being an aunt means:
Babysitting a lot, but enjoying every minute
Going shopping and buying clothes for them, rather than yourself
Embarking on Starbuck’s runs with the older ones (and getting the barista to hold the coffee, cause Aunt Joy is not ready for three kids hyper on coffee at once)
Taking trips to the amusement park and always having a riding partner
Changing dirty diapers often
Feeding a baby and having your arm fall asleep
Cuddling a sleeping baby (cause if that doesn’t melt your heart, I don’t know what will)
Talking about boyfriends and gossip, even if you are years apart
Taking Trips to the zoo, and instead of looking at the animals, you look at them, because the look on their face is far more beautiful/handsome than the animals
Enjoying Christmas a little more, cause Santa gets to visit your house again
Playing Peek-a-boo for what seems like forever
Watching Elmo at 6 a.m.
Traveling a handful of hours to see them as much as you can
Spoiling them with anything they want, because the really do have the cutest “puppy-dog” face
Playing football and basketball, even though you are not very good at it
Racing against them, and always letting them win
Teaching them how to say “taco” (because that is honestly the most important word in the dictionary)
Jamming out in the car to all the latest songs, and watching their always fabulous dance moves
Missing them like crazy when you don’t get to see them at least once a month
Sharing your food with them, because what you have always looks better than what they have
Sharing your heart with five little munchkins
Loving them as much as you possibly can
And Lastly, never being able to thank your Siblings and Siblings-in-Law enough for giving you the greatest honor on earth, as being able to be an aunt
Being an Aunt has taught me patience, but mostly to always be thankful for what you have. Even when my niece and I are so alike we argue, I still love that I have someone who is so similar to me. It is not always easy to be an aunt, but it sure is worth it. They say you don’t know what you have till it is gone, but I know what I have, five amazing nieces and nephews, and I never want lose the relationship we have.
