my new favorite substack. thanks for always putting thoughtful, accessible words out into the world. I am a child-free auntie and i'm working on emulating a lot of your practices :)
Agreed. I'm going on year two of being an auntie to a refugee family whose eldest is in 6th grade this year, and we've done a wide variety of activities, but some of the fondest memories I have are the nights that we all just hung out and the older kids practiced reading (THEIR IDEA) with/to me, and their mom kept the younger ones quietly entertained.
Also, these kids absolutely LOVE teaching me words in their native language. (I love it too.)
Wow, Sadye! How do you get to be an auntie to a refugee family? Did you participate in some kind of matching program, or did you just befriend each other?
I was volunteering with a group that helped refugee kids get to fun activities -- the big Afghan exodus in late 2021 into a very ill-prepared state (Iowa, which had been cutting social workers for years) resulted in us being called upon to help with more prosaic things. And in that process, some of us in the group found ourselves sort of befriending various families!
Bead lizards! I, too, thought these were too difficult to make and I gobbled up this story (and video) eagerly. Ah, YouTube is still full of delights. I may go on the the hunt for some pony beads ahead of Thanksgiving... Thanks for sharing ❤️
Thanks for the kind words and the share friend. It’s been so lovely reading your work and knowing there are kindred spirits out there. We need more Aunties! (And Uncles, Auncles, etc.)
my new favorite substack. thanks for always putting thoughtful, accessible words out into the world. I am a child-free auntie and i'm working on emulating a lot of your practices :)
Yay! Thank you Lindsay!
Agreed. I'm going on year two of being an auntie to a refugee family whose eldest is in 6th grade this year, and we've done a wide variety of activities, but some of the fondest memories I have are the nights that we all just hung out and the older kids practiced reading (THEIR IDEA) with/to me, and their mom kept the younger ones quietly entertained.
Also, these kids absolutely LOVE teaching me words in their native language. (I love it too.)
Wow, Sadye! How do you get to be an auntie to a refugee family? Did you participate in some kind of matching program, or did you just befriend each other?
I was volunteering with a group that helped refugee kids get to fun activities -- the big Afghan exodus in late 2021 into a very ill-prepared state (Iowa, which had been cutting social workers for years) resulted in us being called upon to help with more prosaic things. And in that process, some of us in the group found ourselves sort of befriending various families!
I love that!
I still have my spare keys attached to a stretched out bead lizard my son made for me at least 25 years ago.
It guarded my car keys for at least 10 years when it was replaced by a leather fob he gave me to replace it.
Thanks for the reminder…I shall teach my grandson this heirloom skill❤️❤️❤️
I love this story! Definitely teach your grandson. Bead lizards are, I have learned, the best.
Bead lizards! I, too, thought these were too difficult to make and I gobbled up this story (and video) eagerly. Ah, YouTube is still full of delights. I may go on the the hunt for some pony beads ahead of Thanksgiving... Thanks for sharing ❤️
Yeah, they're super easy! Go for it!
Thanks for the kind words and the share friend. It’s been so lovely reading your work and knowing there are kindred spirits out there. We need more Aunties! (And Uncles, Auncles, etc.)
Mutual admiration society!
Delightful. I have never beaded a lizard but you know what? Maybe it's time.