The Special Aunt

There was a time when my brother-in-laws started having kids that I imagined I would be the same kind of aunt for my nieces and nephews as my aunts were for me. My Mom has 6 siblings. I am one of 17 grandkids. So when I was growing up, there was a lot of sharing of the children. I remember spending weekends and summer days with my aunts and uncles. If my Mom needed someone to pick me up from school, there was an aunt to get me. When someone was taking their kids on a trip to Sea World it wasn't anything for another set of cousins to be asked to come along. When school pictures came out, all the aunts and uncles got a picture. That's just how it was done.

So, when my nephew was born I was a little disappointed when it became clear that I would not get to be the same type of aunt to him. I had to ask for one of his Kindergarten school pictures..what is up with that? But, I started thinking about how my husband was raised. His parents moved far away from their family in Pennsylvania (military..of course) to West Texas and this is where he and his brothers were raised. There were no aunts and uncles to spend the weekends with. So, for my husband and his brothers the concept of 'Aunt and Uncle' are not the same to them as it is to me.

Yesterday we spent the evening at Jeremy's grandparents house for dinner. His parents were there, along with one of this brothers, and my three year old niece, Dolly. She came running over to give me a big old hug and I told her that the tank top she was wearing was very cute. A little while later, as Dolly and I were sitting on the couch together she was admiring my charm necklace. She told me that it was a very cute necklace I had on (clever little girl) and we started talking about all the different charms and stones. Then she eyed my shoes and asked me what kind they were. 'These are called Wedges,' I said to her..and she repeated it. I smiled and told her, 'And so your fashion education begins..I shall teach you everything I know'. Of course she is giggling at me. I told her I would buy her a charm necklace like mine and she says, 'and will you buy me shoes like those?' She points to my wedges. I smiled again, 'Someday, I will.'

And special memories of my aunts resurfaced in my mind. Maybe I'll get to be the aunt I want to be after all.