I love my nieces and nephews and I think being an aunt is the best, especially since I don't have any kids of my own. I currently have nine nieces and seven nephews, and in the not too distant future I'll have three more because three of my sisters are pregnant. I adore my nieces and nephews and love having them around me. Unfortunately my four older sisters all live several states away (Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and California), so that means that of all my 16 nieces and nephews I only get to see one on a consistent basis.
My sister Laura and her husband Brett live here locally, so I get to see their 14-month-old daughter, Amy, regularly. This is such a blessing! My other nieces and nephews (the younger ones that are around the age of three and younger) are so scared of me since they don't have an opportunity to see me very often. It's sad because they will actually start to cry if their moms try to set them down by me. I understand since my situation makes me seem kind of scary and intimidating to a little one. This is one reason why I'm glad that Amy has had the chance to grow up around me from day one.
Since Amy has always known me the way I am and since she's been exposed to me on a regular basis (she and Laura come over several days a week), she's familiar with me the way I am. It's so much fun now that she's getting older. We'll say, "Amy, give Heather a hug," and she'll lay her head down on my chest. It's so cute and it just warms my heart, especially since most of my other nieces and nephews don't want anything to do with me at that age! (However, they always come around and eventually warm up to me by the time they are three or four years old.) I'm glad I can start at least Amy off young so that I can get plenty of love from her while she's still little!
My sister Laura and her husband Brett live here locally, so I get to see their 14-month-old daughter, Amy, regularly. This is such a blessing! My other nieces and nephews (the younger ones that are around the age of three and younger) are so scared of me since they don't have an opportunity to see me very often. It's sad because they will actually start to cry if their moms try to set them down by me. I understand since my situation makes me seem kind of scary and intimidating to a little one. This is one reason why I'm glad that Amy has had the chance to grow up around me from day one.
Since Amy has always known me the way I am and since she's been exposed to me on a regular basis (she and Laura come over several days a week), she's familiar with me the way I am. It's so much fun now that she's getting older. We'll say, "Amy, give Heather a hug," and she'll lay her head down on my chest. It's so cute and it just warms my heart, especially since most of my other nieces and nephews don't want anything to do with me at that age! (However, they always come around and eventually warm up to me by the time they are three or four years old.) I'm glad I can start at least Amy off young so that I can get plenty of love from her while she's still little!
Acceptance does start young. My sister has a facial deformity, and people do double-takes or stare at her in public. But fortunately, my daughters don't know her any differently and it was only a year or so ago when my eight-year-old noticed that her aunt was "different" and was concerned about how others reacted to her aunt: she couldn't understand why anyone would have an issue. Amy sounds like a wonderful little girl, and she's lucky to have an aunt like you!
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