I was thinking about something earlier… we all owe a lot to our Uncles and Aunts growing up, whether they’re related or not. Except for the bad ones that appear on C.O.P.S., they make we children better people. I will explain, of course.
I loved my Uncles and Aunts growing up. When it all comes down to it, anyone’s parents (ourselves included, those of us with kids) are going to be set in their ways. They know what they like, and that’s what they’re gonna teach you. They love you, and want you to be as they are, and they without question will follow the doctrine that they know, because that’s just what they know.
Uncles and Aunts are not restricted by these limitations, and that’s a good thing. They will show you new ideas, because just as your folks like their certain ways and entertainment, they’ve got some all of their own… and they’ll share ‘em with you whether you want ‘em to or not. You can decide if something they show you is of interest to you, and the world gains more diverse people of differing tastes because of this. That makes life more interesting, and that’s never a bad thing.
Uncles and Aunts can save your life, because you’re not their kid, so they don’t HAVE to follow your parents’ rules… and they won’t. You mess with them, they’ll just send you home or punish you… your long-suffering parents can’t do that, because you live there.
Uncles and Aunts will take you on so that your parents, who really at times would like to kill you because all children are pains in the butt, will have a well-needed break. They’ll take you places and have fun with you, knowing full well that when the night ends, they can send you back home. Earlier if your parents annoy them for some foolish reason, because they usually have kids of their own, and the greatest torture a parent can know is having freedom for a brief spell only to be saddled with those little bundles of joy that they love and cannot run from. Uncles and Aunts know this, and it is a weapon.
The best Uncles and Aunts are the ones who are not related to you, because they’ll do things with you that even your biological ones will refuse to, because they’re all from the same clan. My Uncle Dave showed me my first Heavy Metal magazine… because HE COULD. I loved it. We’d mess with his computer in a different way than I could at home. It taught me a lot. Again, more new ideas that a kid’s not gonna get from his direct family. More diversity… more challenges… more growth, because children must be challenged.
Uncles and Aunts help with this. It is the natural order. So it is written, so shall it be done. I try to live in honor of what mine did for me. I’ve got loads of nieces and nephews that are not related to me, and I show them new ideas as well… because I can. I’ve got my current late-model nephew appreciating Metal, Punk and Southern Rock music (not the profane ones… I’m an Uncle, not a monster)… because his Mom ain’t gonna think of that. I’ll watch him play his video games, as goofy as they are, because I can… and I can show him games that I know of that his mom and dad aren’t gonna think of. He’ll be a better person for this, I am certain. He doesn’t like ‘em all, and he doesn’t have to. It’s all about choice, as long as good ones are presented.
I can enforce the rules here in ways his mother can not. If he snaps off at her or disobeys her, she will love him and try to coddle him, because that’s what the best, well-meaning mothers will do. I don’t have to. He’s not going to bed like he was asked? No prob… send in the Enforcer. “You. Kiss your mother. Then bed.” “But… but….” “NOW. OBEY YOUR MOM. G’NIGHT.” And that works. Why? I dunno… but it does. We’re good to have around. So here’s to you, Uncles and Aunts of the world. You make kids think in new and fascinating ways, and we’d be lost without you. Just stay off C.O.P.S., and we’re all good. 🙂
