On Being The Best Aunt You Can Be
Do you believe that aunts, and even uncles, have a really important role in their nephew’s or niece’s life? I am an aunt of a three-year old boy whom I deeply love and adore. I attend to my nephew whenever my sister needs a hand with taking care of him which is no easy feat. Baby sitting toddlers can really be a challenge, especially if they’re in a particularly bad mood and you can’t get them to follow you. But just like any other difficult task there is a way to cope with this seemingly tough but rewarding challenge.
The Role Of Aunts In Their Nephews’ Or Nieces’ Lives
The best way to motivate yourself to become the best aunt you can be is to remind yourself of the roles that you play in your nephews’ or nieces’ lives. This way, you’ll be motivated to extend your patience, show more love, and give your best in everything you do for them. Here are some things that you need to keep in mind:
- You are like a second mother to them.
By reminding yourself of your primary role in their lives, you will always be inspired to be the best second parent you can be. You will see them as your own and will thus be motivated to treat them kindly and gently all the time.
- You can be their friend.
Kids see their aunts or uncles as potential friends because they might not be as strict as their parents. If your nephew or niece sees you as his or her friend, take this as an opportunity to teach them good values and manners. Give them support whenever they need it.
- You don’t have full responsibility of them.
The good thing about the job of taking care of nieces and nephews is that it actually ends the moment their father or mother arrives to take them in again. You don’t have to spend a whole lot of time taking care of them, which means you have to cherish your times together. So as much as possible, try to be patient, loving, and kind to them so they will have only good moments with you.
- You have the opportunity to get some parenting practice.
This applies to aunts like me who don’t have kids of their own yet but are planning to have some someday. Taking care of your nephews or nieces can be a good training ground for that future role that you will hopefully assume one day. Treasure these times because they will not come back anymore.
The role of aunts in the lives of their nephews and nieces are oftentimes taken for granted. That is surely unfortunate because this is a very crucial and critical role. We, aunts, can help raise our nieces and nephews into well-rounded, mature, and compassionate individuals. We can help our brothers or sisters cope with their parenting tasks. Isn’t that motivation enough for you to continue doing a great job of being the best aunt you can ever be?
Niña Angeli Pilapil is a best promotional products expert and writer who loves reading books and novels. She works for Promopeddler, a promotional items company. Visit her Twitter page at http://twitter.com/ninsbonita.
