No, Aunthood Is Not a Consolation Prize for Being a Mother
It’s a standalone thing and thinking otherwise is damaging for both aunties and the children they influence
Last week, I crashed a car with my four-year-old niece in the back.
Everyone was fine, I went through a hedge at a pretty low speed. We didn’t even have minor neck injuries.
But I was beside myself because of that niece.
I would be upset if this happened with any child of course, but this hit a differently. Harder.
She has surprised me, this niece. She was born during lockdown, so I didn’t get to meet her for the first eight months of her life. But since then she has buried herself in my heart so deeply, it’s been a shock.
I’m not even sure I can handle how much I love her. Sometimes I wish I didn’t because when things go wrong for her I feel completely floored.
The same goes for her older sister, a determined little girl who, whilst she infuriates me often, I love with a force I’m quite unused to.
What I am feeling is Auntie Love.
This is not a love we as a society pay much attention to. People consider it a stop-gap love, especially in child-free aunts. It’s…
