Being an Aunt for the First Time

Women who, for whatever reason, have not brought a child into the world and have the happiness of experiencing the arrival of their first niece or nephew will discover an unconditional love that grows every day. It even makes them a second mother.

In general, someone who hasn’t been a mother and receives the great news that she’ll become an aunt for the first time will have an incredible and indescribable feeling. Regardless of the circumstance, moment and even age, the arrival of a niece or nephew is something very special.

The little one who comes into the world will undoubtedly be the joy of the house. He or she will also be the protagonist of many mischiefs that the new aunt will surely be a part of.

When you’re an aunt for the first time, you’re always eager to teach your nephew new things, take pictures in each and every milestone and prepare delicious desserts or snacks to share with them.

You’re like a second mother to this new being and you’ll excitedly wait for the moment when he or she will call you “aunt” for the first time.

You’ll always be there to take advantage of that privileged moment of putting them down to sleep and repeating the same story a hundred times. Meanwhile, you leave discreet but essential comments that will shape who they are.

Together, you can watch a TV show or just cartoons in order to comment and exchange opinions. Thus, you teach them to reflect on and highlight values that will be useful in their long journey of life.

Despite this, the fact that you love your nephew a lot doesn’t mean that you’ll leave behind the discipline and respect to help shape them as a person. You should always contribute to their personal development and be a good role model.

5 Golden Rules to Follow when You Become an Aunt for the First Time

Sometimes, for the simple fact of not being the mother, you don’t take your niece or nephew’s education seriously. This is actually a mistake.

Here are five golden rules to be the best aunt that you can be:

1. Be an Extraordinary Aunt, Not a Peer

When the parents aren’t around, an aunt’s role comes into play. The child will need a guide, not a buddy. 

Nowadays, it’s very common for an aunt to confide her fears and problems to a nephew. Being an aunt for the first time means setting limits and norms just like parents have to.

2. Discipline Your Niece or Nephew From Childhood

A s an aunt, one of your tasks is to teach your nieces and nephews to help with household chores from a young age and support parents in making them understand that they should follow rules.

On the other hand, you shouldn’t condone bad behavior. When the child finds your support for his mistakes, he will take control of the situation and, therefore, disobey his parents.

3. Dedicate Quality Time to Your Niece or Nephew

Often, the aunt doesn’t live in the same house as her nephew. She may also not be able to spend as much time with him as she would like due to work or other commitments.

Therefore, when they are together they should take advantage of free time and turn it into quality moments. A little while is enough to play, exercise, sit down to talk or walk for a few hours.

Your niece or nephew will definitely value that time together. H owever short it may be, he or she will always remember those beautiful moments.

4. Always Speak the Truth, Even If It Is Hard

There is no doubt that true self-esteem arises from overcoming a challenge. Therefore, you should not overprotect your nephew. This won’t let him  develop abilities to overcome difficulties.

At the right time, you should praise him for genuine achievements. If for some reason your nephew didn’t meet an objective, you shouldn’t make him feel useless. You also shouldn’t treat him like a champion. Help him learn from his defeats.

5. Always Watch the Trouble They Get Into

It is not a myth that a child without surveillance will be a serious problem in the short term. That is why your duty as aunt is not to give free rein to your niece or nephew no matter how old they are.

This monitoring must be done without the child feeling overwhelmed, since that would motivate him to stop being himself. Thus, you would no longer be the dear aunt who guides you, but a person you cannot trust.

Being an aunt is a blessing. Your niece or nephew sees you as a second mother with whom they’ll share sweet moments and other not so good ones. 

Take advantage of your influence to instill valuable life lessons ​​and principles. Also, give all your love, because surely you’ll receive much more in return.