9 Reasons Aunt Life Is the Best Life

For the rest of your life, each time you hear them say your name, your heart will swell with pride and you will know.

We all have roles in life. These roles change based on location, company, and time. Sometimes, two roles overlap. Other times, the line that’s drawn between two is clear.

I’m a lot of things. I’m a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a pet parent, an educator, a friend, a writer, a comic, a co-worker, an actor… My most important role–the one I feel defines me more than any other–is that I’m an aunt.

For 9 years, I’ve held the title of, “Aunt Mollie,” and if you think it’s the best thing to be called, you’re right. I have the pleasure of being an aunt to both a boy and a girl, and talk about roles! They see me as all kinds of different things:

“The funniest person I know.”

“The smartest.”

“The Cool Aunt.”

While I have the rest of my life to be The Cool Aunt™, here are 9 things over the last 9 years that I’ve found to be the best parts of aunt life.

1. You’re the smartest.
When a parent doesn’t know an answer, you’re expected to. That niece or nephew is convinced that if they just call you, you’ll know. That’s why you receive texts from your siblings saying things like, your nephew needs to know if chickens can swim, can you die in quicksand, and why do waterfalls have caves behind them?

Let’s be real. Even if you don’t know the answer, you Google that crap and respond promptly so you can keep your Aunt Cred.

2. Not only do you know everything, but you can do everything.
Got a project for school? Yup, Auntie can take care of that.
Need a dress for the dance? Let’s go!
Want to go to that thing, but no one is crazy enough to go with you? Your aunt sure is.
60 cookies for your birthday at school tomorrow? Not a problem.
Oh, you and three of your friends want to go to the mall on a Saturday during Winter Break? Consider yourself chaperoned!

Whatever it is, you can do it, and you can do it better than Mom or Dad.

3. You’re weird, and they love it.
You do things like take them out to breakfast and you’re all wearing onesies. Maybe your hair is also wild for Crazy Hair Day at school, or you tell them that you’re going to crank up the music and dance as fast as you can for the next 30 seconds.

They probably ask, “Really?”

Yes, really. You’re the aunt!

4. You’re the fun one.
Being weird is one thing, but being fun is another. Sure, you say some stuff they can’t believe you said, and together you make an igloo and sit in it with some hot chocolate. You also do things like let them rollerblade down the hallway, build your own backyard obstacle course, or wrap a blanket around your neck and pretend it’s a cape.

They laugh continuously, and think you’re the funniest person around. When asked why they enjoy you so much, they say things like, “Auntie is fun!”

5. You aren’t Mom or Dad.
Picture this: They ask their parents a question. The parent answers. They aren’t satisfied. They ask you the same question. You respond with the same answer.

Somehow, you’ve changed their life.

There are times that their parents know something is up, but they can’t get them to talk. You throw them in the car, feed them, and suddenly they’re spilling their guts about the bullies at school like you’ve opened Fort Knox.

Sound familiar?

There’s something about the fact that you aren’t Mom or Dad that makes them more apt to talk and listen. They’re always better behaved for you than they are at home, too. It’s just one of the aunt perks.

6. You get to take them home.
Everything is fine when you’re in the car and you’re talking. You’re looking at all of the crap you’ve bought them, and they’re talking about the puppy on the side of the road. They probably tell you they want a puppy for Christmas, an easy enough conversation to wiggle your way out of, and then it happens…

“Where do babies come from?” They ask.

Time to drop them back off at home and make that a Mommy or Daddy problem.

Maybe it is in the car. Maybe it’s in line to checkout at Target where you’re gonna spend $100 on toys they’ve picked out and you’ve said yes to. Maybe you’re even at home, cuddling on the couch, watching Toy Story for the 928th time.

Regardless, it always happens, and you can always take them home.

You’re off the hook, you stellar aunt. (For now.)

7. Buying them whatever.
They need that thing you just saw that they’ve never seen before and they need it now. Not for their birthday. Not for Christmas. Now, and just because.

It ends up in the cart, and you end up budgeting your random spending on them into your monthly cost of living.

8. You’ll always have your biggest fan.
They’re a built-in best friend. They know you almost as well as you know them. You’re continually shocked by the gifts for Christmas or your birthday that they’ve picked out and you assume you’re going to have to pretend to like. You don’t have to pretend. You genuinely like it.

They’ve done well.

They’re your mini-me, your protégé, and your #1 fan for life.

9. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
Everyone always talks about the feeling that comes upon you when you become a parent for the first time. There’s a moment, I’ve been told, where you feel your life change.

Similarly, there’s something about holding that baby niece or nephew for the first time that changes you. When they say your name for the first time, it comes back even stronger. For the rest of your life, you will be an aunt, and you will love it. For the rest of your life, each time you hear them say your name, your heart will swell with pride and you will know.

You love them and they love you. Your life will forever be changed, and it will be great.

A big thank you to my niece and nephew and everything they add to my life. (Even their weird questions.) Here’s to the next 9 years!