This is lovely! As an aspiring auntie and also a parent of young kids, I find Dana’s thoughts about her motivation for being an Auntie incredibly validating. When I’m with my kids, much of my time and mental energy goes toward just getting us through the many tasks that comprise a day. But my kids need people in their lives who can slow down with them and have big conversations. People who can encourage their long creative stories without frequently interjecting “that’s great but PUT ON YOUR SHOES.” It lightens some of the ever-present mom guilt to realize that my kids’ aunties truly can give them some things I can’t (and don’t need to) give.
“It’s so easy as an Auntie to be the perfect, patient, loving, understanding adult we expect parents to be, because I have so much time off. Kids deserve that kind of adult in their lives, and it’s unreasonable to expect parents to be that while also providing a home and care and an upbringing and, usually, working full-time outside of the home.”
Thank you Dana for putting words to my auntie experience! 💓
This is lovely! As an aspiring auntie and also a parent of young kids, I find Dana’s thoughts about her motivation for being an Auntie incredibly validating. When I’m with my kids, much of my time and mental energy goes toward just getting us through the many tasks that comprise a day. But my kids need people in their lives who can slow down with them and have big conversations. People who can encourage their long creative stories without frequently interjecting “that’s great but PUT ON YOUR SHOES.” It lightens some of the ever-present mom guilt to realize that my kids’ aunties truly can give them some things I can’t (and don’t need to) give.
Thank you Jeannie!
This part really got me:
“It’s so easy as an Auntie to be the perfect, patient, loving, understanding adult we expect parents to be, because I have so much time off. Kids deserve that kind of adult in their lives, and it’s unreasonable to expect parents to be that while also providing a home and care and an upbringing and, usually, working full-time outside of the home.”
Thank you Dana for putting words to my auntie experience! 💓