For the next two weeks I have my older nephew, I, staying with us. I didn't realize what a stress it was to be the "parent". I mean, I know it's stressful. But, last week when both my nephews were here with both their parents, I was the fun one. I was just the Aunt.
Hershey's kisses right before bed for a 2 year old ??? NO PROBLEM! How about I toss in some baby marshmallows with that? HELP YOURSELF! After all, do I really have to worry about it? His Mom and Dad can brush his teeth and chase him down all night. Right?
I knew it bothered me that I couldn't just be the Aunt who spoiled them and that I had to be the "mean one". But I didn't realize it was a weight until these guys came to town. E (above) was so cute. I'm always strong with them when they first get here so they know they can't walk all over me or my home. Once they know the rules it gets fun. This little guy was hilarious. By the time he left he could say my name perfectly. Everything had my name in it and had to be seen by me. He would call out "Hey Sash!" Too funny! I hear that he's filling everyone's ears with my name back at his house.
I got to spend a few hours out shopping and talking with I (above). It was great to just have the one. I bought him a few things for his stay, as we weren't really planning on him to stay. Things just kind of fell into place for him to be able to stay here and visit after they were already here.
It used to be like that with the other kids. My oldest used to call me for advice and I used to take her to the movies. I used to buy all of them toys and clothes. I even took a few with their mother to Sea World back in the day.
I've always felt like it was my job to show them something better. But now that I have a different label. It's hard to know if I can ever get back that Aunt title or even find a balance between the two. I feel like I have to be more responsible and less fun because I can't have them thinking of me as a friend. It sucks.
I have a lot of thinking to do. It's such a weird space to be in.
Can you tell I am soooooo sick of this collar? I can't eat, can't drink, nothin'! It sucks gettin' old and gettin' hurt. Mom says she did me a favor gettin' me a clear one but I can't tell why that would be any better. The other day she found me tryin' to lick my chew toy through the plastic. It sucked!
Here they are with their final masterpieces. The boy caught a baseball with his head earlier that day. He's pretty good at that.
I leave you with a pic of my sister, here she is impersonating her gingerbread. In all fairness she didn't realize I had the camera on and was taking pictures. I was lucky to swing around and catch this gem on film.
Good thing she doesn't have a computer or internet access, huh? lol
I knew it bothered me that I couldn't just be the Aunt who spoiled them and that I had to be the "mean one". But I didn't realize it was a weight until these guys came to town. E (above) was so cute. I'm always strong with them when they first get here so they know they can't walk all over me or my home. Once they know the rules it gets fun. This little guy was hilarious. By the time he left he could say my name perfectly. Everything had my name in it and had to be seen by me. He would call out "Hey Sash!" Too funny! I hear that he's filling everyone's ears with my name back at his house.
I got to spend a few hours out shopping and talking with I (above). It was great to just have the one. I bought him a few things for his stay, as we weren't really planning on him to stay. Things just kind of fell into place for him to be able to stay here and visit after they were already here. 
