Am I Their Aunt/Uncle or Their Parent?

Do you have a sibling(s) that struggles with parenting? Does your niece or nephew run to you whenever there's a problem? If you answered yes, than welcome to the club.

Today, I am talking about being the Aunt or Uncle and being the actual parent.

Recently, I moved, but over the past four and a half years I have lived in the same apartment with my sister and nephew. Living together for that amount of time (since my nephew was born) has taken a toll on me in both a good and bad way. Don't get me wrong, I love my nephew like he was my own. Which evidently coincides with what I'm talking about.

Over the years, I have watched my nephew numerous of times and even when my sister was home I would spend time with him. I've been there for him like a parent is and should be. Maybe its the "mother" in me, or the constant need to make sure he doesn't have a childhood like mine. Regardless, there is some things that my nephew does with me that he doesn't do with his own Mother.

Often times, my nephew mistakes me as his mother. He'd rather play with me cause I never say no. I read to him, play trains, watch his favorite (annoying) kid shows, and even cook for him. I've constantly felt like a co-parent to him alongside my sister. I'm way too overprotective of him and I never wanna leave him. Usually, an Aunt or Uncle loves spending time with their niece or nephew, but at the end of the day, they just as much love to give them back.

My nephew is very hyperactive. My sister often gets mad at me when I try to help her cause it's hard getting him to calm down. I try to help put him to bed cause he's in that phase where he hates it, but she tells me I'm too much of a distraction.

Now that I'm no longer living with her I bet she secretly misses it. My sister and I have two very different personalities and very different ways of dealing with children. I'm more compassionate, while she just likes to get straight to the point. That's where the irritation comes into play.

Most times, Aunts and Uncles are discredited for their roles in their nieces' and nephews' lives. They're neglected by outside sources; such as hospitals. When in reality, they're at the very forefront of a child's development.

They notice certain patterns in your child that you as a parent may not. They are there to help you embrace your child's existence and give you a much-deserved break. Sometimes though, there may be a child with a troubled parent or they lose their parent(s) in an accident. That's when you could become your nieces' or nephews' legal guardian.

You may feel you're already partly a parent to them already. You cheer them on at their sports games, you give them advice on their first date, you teach them how to dance, maybe even sometimes how to drive.

The "motherhoodlessness" ones are not missing out on parenthood.

They already look out for your child like they are their own. They're right there for their niece and nephew to give a tight hug when things go sour. When they have their first heartbreak and they don't want crawl home to their parents. Or, when they get in serious trouble for the first time and don't wanna call their Mom or Dad. You are the one that gets that knock on the door or call on your phone.

Yes, and I admit sometimes I act too much like a parent to my nephew, but its just how I am. I wanna be an influence in his life while I still can. I'm not tied down to him. Emotionally, yes. Legally, no. It takes a village to raise a child and I am apart of that group of people that are there for my nephew. For now, I just wanna build a good bond with him so he knows he can come to me anytime and I'll be there with open arms.