A Month of Gratitude, Day 29 - My Awesome, Awesome Niece

Sunday, December 29, 2013
I have a niece. She's the daughter of the Smart Man's brother and his lovely wife, and she's two and a half.

I love my little niece. I've never really had a chance to be a Cool Auntie, and her arrival on the scene has filled a hole in my life that I didn't know was there. Unlike when my twins were that age, I have a significant amount of disposable income, and as her Cool Auntie, it's kind of my job to spend some percentage of it on her. This makes me feel good, as every kid needs an indulgent older relative, both to buy cool prezzies for Christmas and birthday, as well as contribute to their retirement fund.

But our awesome, awesome niece is especially dear to us, because right after she was born, her parents asked us to stand in loco parentis for her in the horrifying and unlikely event that something happens to them. Of course we agreed immediately. It never occurred to either of us to refuse this family the greatest gift we could offer - to care for their precious daughter if they could not.

Today I'm grateful for my niece's presence in my life, and for the chance to make a difference in hers.

2 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

I absolutely adore being an auntie. It's so much fun, and I love being able to buy the fun things and not the boring stuff. :)

Janiece said...

Word.