8 things I have learned by being “Aunt Ariel”

In 2012 I became a friend to a little girl and in 2015 I officially became her aunt.

Here’s just a few things she has taught her uncle (my husband) and I:

1. How precious our imaginations really are and how quickly we lose them if we don’t use them, by becoming an adult. There is very little as precious as the time spent with a niece or nephew in a world that is completely make-believe.
2. Being an aunt is tough. Not all questions that start with “why?” will have an answer good enough for them. The attitude of a three-year-old can get to you sometimes and it turns out, they will hurt your feelings. But they are watching you, they are watching how you respond. Do you respond or react? (Yes, those are different.) They are watching you in almost every day.
3. Saying “I’m sorry” to a person, no matter how big or how small, can have the most healing effect on a relationship. Saying it to them, saying it in front of them to someone you’ve hurt, can speak and teach volumes.
4. Taking time to laugh and make a goofy face can change your perspective on a lot of things. Whether it’s who can hold their tongue out the longest after your niece falls off her bike or if you’re stuck in traffic, it’s one in the same.
5. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Don’t back down on your word even if your niece has breathtaking blue eyes and the cutest dimples. Keep. Your. Promises.
6. Playing dress up is one of the best things you can do as an aunt. Being confident in who you are when the crowns and plastic high heels are off is one of the best things you can do as a person.
   
7. Respect- this isn’t my daughter so she isn’t being raised the same way I would raise her. Respect her parents and the rules and guidelines for her life. Even if they don’t give you a reason. Mom and dad should always have the final say.
8. Enjoy, really enjoy, every moment, that you’ve been given. Once you blink it will be gone and it will be nap time. (Side note: Want to know how fast life really is? Watch your niece or nephew grow up. Feels like yesterday when she was spitting up on me…)