More than anything in this world, I love being a mother. But running closely, I also love being an aunt. The minute my first niece entered my life I was hooked. It was also a bonus that she was named after me. With each new little one that entered our life it made the desire even greater to be the best Aunt that I could.
I am not perfect at it. I even fail miserably at times but that does not mean that I do not get back up and keep trying. To be honest, I do not have the best relationship with all of my nieces and nephews. This is something that I am not happy about. I would be closer to them all if I could, and one day I will be if they like it or not. Of course there are those select ones that I am closer too, there is no use hiding it. Probably because I see them more. Maybe because they allow me to be all kinds of crazy up in their face (Insert evil grin here) . It does not change the fact that I love them all the same. To me they are all so special and I am proud to say I am their Aunt. Even those that come from my sister's blended family. Ones that entered our family not by blood but by marriage. It is no different. I love them just the same and they have accepted me as well. Referring to me as "Aunt Chelle" when they do not have to. The greatest form of compliment and respect when no matter how old they get they still refer to me as this. I know they don't realize it, but when they refer to me in this manner all I hear is "I Love You." It warms my heart.
When I was younger I had those amazing kind of Aunts, most of them are gone now and I miss them everyday. In particular, I remember how Aunt Darlene would even make sure the tooth fairy found her house if I there while I lost a tooth. Her hugs were the best and I miss her smile so much. She never treated me different or made me feel like I was not important. She was always the first person to hug and kiss us at family gatherings and always made me feel like a million bucks even when her life was kind of crazy. I want to be that kind of aunt. I want to be that safe place if my nieces or nephews ever need it. I want that for my children as well. As a mom, I try my hardest to make sure that my children can tell me anything but I think it is equally as important to have that person in your life that make you feel like my Aunt Darlene did. I want these kind of amazing Aunts and Uncles for my children, and I am blessed to say that I think they do.
So nieces and nephews, if you are reading this. Know that I love you with all of my heart. God has placed you in my life for all the love that I can give you and silliness that you can endure. You are stuck with me and I am not going anywhere.
Click HERE to follow me on facebook for tutorials, artwork ideas, or general thoughts. :)
