As men, especially ones of the dad variety, we like to think there’s nothing we can’t handle. And for the most part we feel fairly confident about this being the case. But there are times when there is so much going on that we cannot physically stretch ourselves far enough to cover all bases. So whether they are aunts by family or aunts by friend, they do always seem to be there when you need them.
I mean it is crazy right?
They seem to step in at a moments notice. Never complain about any of it and seem to be pretty happy about helping out. Even if they have their own kids they still seem to welcome yours into their home at any time. It may seem strange how they can have such immense love for your kids all the time. Is this is just how they are wired? What makes up these super humans?
I don’t know whether it is a male testosterone thing. Maybe it’s the manly nature of how we are chemically made up. But men in general, don’t seem have the same nurturing ability. Sure we love the kids and we enjoy the time we spend playing games with them. Heck everything becomes a game once you have kids in the mix. Everyone has heard of the fun uncle (“Funkle”). So why does it seems to be so much easier for our female counterparts to make it through the other piece of the tiny human puzzle? The world may never know for sure. But I feel like it might have something to do with their overall ability to handle pain better than men. See the definition of “Manflu”
Aunts A True Superhero
We have recently had a few occasions where we had nowhere for the baby to go. Grandma and grandpa, primary daytime caregivers, were out of town. As we went to the Rolodex (is that still a thing?) we realized that our list of people who would welcome watching the kiddo was much larger than we had originally anticipated and almost exclusively female.
In some cases your kids aunts can be some of the most influential people in their lives. They’re the ones who will take them to do the things that you just can’t stand to do one more time. Just when you are about to lose it because you have seen Princess Sophia for the 5000th time the aunt steps in and watches for that 5001 time and saves the day.
Almost Always The Case
Now that I have had a chance to speak with some other dads about their go to babysitters and all around life savers, my question is this. Why do aunts, family or otherwise, not get the recognition they deserve? I mean these are the people that show up at the drop of a hat take care of your screaming child and never complain. Rarely do they ever even seem to want anything in return. But yet nobody ever seems to talk about how wonderful it is to have an aunt who is essentially on call.
So whether the aunts in your life are the ones saving you from going crazy. The ones teaching your kid to dig to the bottom of the cereal box for a toy. Or taking your kid for the day. I believe aunts are the unsung hero of any family/friend dynamic.