While I hang out with my wonderful extended family in Maryland I'm constantly reminded what wonderful parents my cousins and my brother and sister-in-law are. It also becomes readily apparent that my parents are incredible grandparents, as are my aunt and uncle. This being said, there are plenty of people for the plethora of children to talk to, play with, jump on, put jam on, etc. Why, oh why, like a cat who KNOWS I'm allergic to it, do they insist on coming to me?
Well, I love my 4 nephews. Yes, 4 of them. 4 separate personalities and they are all hilarious and wonderful. But after about 5 minutes, I usually don't have much to say to them and we end up staring at one another like gunslingers waiting for someone to flinch. It's...well, uncomfortable. However, I've had 4 memorable moments with all of them these past 2 days and I'd like to share.
Zack - age: 10
He's got his dad's taste in music. Always worried about how he appears to his friends, he's attached to his ipod. We're seated at the airport. I'm pumped full of cold medicine and dramamine. He's bopping along to what, I assumed, is music on his ipod. He is staring at me. I ask him what he's listening to. He says: Rap. I think, "fuck, I know NOTHING about rap, this is going to be a very uncomfortable conversation if he wants to actually discuss it since I actually dislike almost all forms of rap" Then, as if cued, he asks me, "So, do you like rap"? I truthfully say, "No". He stares at me for a full second and then says, "You really should, Aunt Ali. You really should".
I nodded my congested head. Maybe he's right.
Justin - age: 7
He's the sports buff. He loves to cook. He also tends to know his limitations but doesn't let them get him down. So, at the Thankgiving buffet tonight, he comes walking over with a plate in his hand and without even missing a beat says, "Aunt Ali, will you please get me some mashed potatoes"? I don't know why, but it totally warmed my heart. Maybe it was the way he asked. Maybe it was the fact that he smiled when he said my name. Maybe I'm PMS'ing (i'm not, but isn't that what women are supposed to say to cover up that they have emotions?) but it made my heart melt.
Brandon - age: 4
I've walked into my Aunts house with my arms full of groceries and as I'm putting them down my nephew Brandon says, "Aunt Ali, will you play a game with me"? Now, how can I say no? Even though every voice in my head is screaming NOT to do this, but how can I NOT help the poor kid play a game. How bad can it be? So I put the groceries away and we set up for a game of Candyland. We are joined by two other adults and it is ON. We're having fun, waiting for dinner, stomachs growling and realizing we are just trying to get to the point where Brandon will get to the END of the damned Candy lane so we could put away the game and go eat dinner, or at least leave the sticky playroom (ok, that's what I was thinking but still...) All of a sudden, Brandon pulls the Plumpy card which throws him all the way back to nearly the beginning of the game. UGH! Now, the other two people have already won, so it's me and Brandon trying to get the 3rd place prize...now he's all the way back at the beginning! This game will never end. He looks absolutley PLEASED with himself. My brother (one of the other two adults) points out, "Uh oh, B. Aunt Ali is ahead of you." Brandon looks down at the board and for a split second I thought, "Oh shit here comes the tantrum". Instead, he assesses the situation, looks up at me and then my brother and says, "I guess I'm losing!"
Tears spurted out of my eyes from the laughter. It was a beautiful moment.
Sean age: 2
He doesn't talk. It's cool. He communicates in his own way. But he doesn't want to use his words yet. We're eating dinner. I look over and he's tried to follow his Dad but gotten stuck trying to turn sommersaults on the floor right near the buffet table. I jump up to "save" the situation and, at least, get him back to the table or with his Dad. He is turned away from me when I approach him and I tap his shoulder. He spins around, surprised, and then just beams at me. This ginormous smile that lit up the room. I picked him up and started asking him crazy questions in a bizarre voice and he began laughing! The more I talked, the more he laughed. I knew then that Sean was taking in everything we said and did. One day he's going to have a lot to say...he's just waiting for his time to speak.
Cheesy? Yeah, but I rarely get to have these sweet moments with these great boys. I do choose to bring these up rather than the 10,445 reasons I never want to actually HAVE children, but, I think I can handle being called "Aunt Ali" pretty much forever.
