{"id":13611,"date":"2025-07-23T01:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2c63b44c-9abe-11e8-99ad-ca52c1e5b2af"},"modified":"2025-07-23T01:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T07:25:18","slug":"your-important-role-as-an-aunt-or-uncle","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/blog\/your-important-role-as-an-aunt-or-uncle\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Important Role as an Aunt (or Uncle)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From the day he was born and I first glimpsed my nephew\u2019s face, I was smitten. My heart\u2019s capacity to love stretched and deepened instantly, and I knew that I would do anything for my little guy. \u201cAuntie Lala\u201d became the role I treasure most in life.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s almost three years old now \u2013 sleeping in a \u201cbig boy bed,\u201d excited to don an elephant costume for Halloween, and recently announced his desire to author a book titled &#8220;The Wonderful World of Concrete.&#8221; Toddlers and their developing personalities, interests, ideas, and antics, are hilarious.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m convinced that aunt life (or uncle life) is the best life. We have the unique opportunity\u00a0to invest in our nieces and nephews and simply enjoy our time together\u2026and then send them home to their parents at the end of the day. It\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n<p>My desire is to build a strong foundation with my nephew now so that he knows I will always love him and be available to him. Following are the ways I\u2019m intentionally developing this important relationship. Hopefully, it will give you a few ideas as a current or future aunt or uncle.<\/p>\n<h4>Speak words of affirmation.<\/h4>\n<p>Our words matter. They can be life-giving when the encouragement offered is genuine and timely. Take every opportunity to affirm your niece or nephew\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/segment\/hello-my-name-is\/\">intrinsic value<\/a>, character growth and success. Ask questions. Listen for cues that point you to their needs. Let them know that they are important to you \u2013 in person, written in a card, on social media (when appropriate) or in a text.<\/p>\n<p>Examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>I love you.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>I\u2019m thinking of you today. How can I pray for you?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>You took a risk and ___. I\u2019m so proud of you.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>You make me smile.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>I\u2019m listening. Tell me more.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>I noticed when you ____. That was so kind.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>How can I help you?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>You\u2019re so smart and you studied hard. Way to go!<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re my nephew (or niece). You are a gift from God.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These messages will remind them that you care and that you\u2019re paying attention to their lives. To be most effective, learn what type of encouragement specifically ministers to their heart and commit to expressing it. It will make your niece&#8217;s or nephew\u2019s day. Give it a try and watch them light up!<\/p>\n<h4>Show up in their world.<\/h4>\n<p>My nephew loves music, so I\u2019ve attended two of his Kindermusik lessons and listened to him conduct a stuffed animal orchestra from atop a box in the living room. His mini drum set and plastic instruments are among his favorite toys. I\u2019m not the most musically inclined, but he can count on me to be a willing participant whenever he\u2019s up for a concert.<\/p>\n<p>What are your nieces and nephews into right now? How can you show up? Do you make yourself available to them as you are able?<\/p>\n<p>If they live in the same town or nearby, try to arrange your schedule to attend ballgames, school plays or activities. Watch with enthusiasm, and put away your cell phone unless you\u2019re snapping a quick photo of them in action. It will mean so much to them when they scan the audience and spot you in the crowd, cheering them on.<\/p>\n<p>If you live far away from your family, surprise them during the holiday season. If you go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, concoct with your siblings a plan to create a special surprise moment for their kids. Perhaps arrive after their bedtime so they awaken to you making pancakes for breakfast in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>When you can&#8217;t be present, ask a family member to record special milestones and events so you can watch later, or join via FaceTime or Skype.<\/p>\n<h4>Be creative in gift-giving.<\/h4>\n<p>It\u2019s important for me to be generous toward my nephew. At the same time, I want to be mindful not to overdo it with an excess of gifts, instilling the idea that having more is better. I\u2019ve opted to focus more on experiences. We\u2019ve gone swimming together at a local pool. I took him to McDonald\u2019s for a birthday Happy Meal last year. He sends me watercolor paintings and craft projects in the mail, and I send him a postcard from every vacation spot I visit.<\/p>\n<p>Another idea is to do a service project together to <em>be<\/em> a gift in someone else\u2019s life. Your bond will strengthen when you work side by side and make a difference together.<\/p>\n<p>An idea I have in mind, and hope to implement soon, is to open a savings account for my nephew. My plan is to set up an automatic transfer of $10 from every paycheck I receive, at least initially. Perhaps one day I can match his own savings, dollar for dollar, to help him buy his first car or contribute toward his first semester of college.<\/p>\n<h4>Pray for them.<\/h4>\n<p>Last, but perhaps most importantly, I want to spiritually influence my nephew, who is delightfully made in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=genesis%201%3A27&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God\u2019s image<\/a> and unconditionally loved by Him. Aside from bedtime prayers and Bibles stories, I can set an example of Christian faith by extending grace, trusting God in all circumstances, admitting when I\u2019m wrong and asking for forgiveness, and pointing out God\u2019s handiwork in creation. When I\u2019m quick to praise God for the little things as well as the big blessings, it reminds my nephew that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s pray earnestly for our nieces and nephews \u2014 ultimately that they would draw near to God and pull up a seat at His table as sons and daughters. We can boldly petition for them to walk in a manner worthy of the calling upon their lives. It\u2019s time to sow prayers for this generation to grow into humble, servant-hearted young men and women, mighty champions of justice, friends to all, and people who exude the fruit of the Spirit.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>It is an honor and privilege to be given a nephew, and I want to steward this role well. My overall aim \u2014 and I hope it is yours, too \u2014 is to be a good aunt (or uncle) who is present in both the mundane and the milestones, generously extending attention, love and care, and building a lasting legacy in the lives of these precious little ones.<\/p>\n<p><em>Are you an aunt or uncle? How do you nurture your relationship with your nieces and nephews? Let\u2019s share our tips and learn from one another.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Copyright 2017 Lindsay Blackburn. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I want my nephew to know I will always love him and be available to him. Here are the ways I\u2019m intentionally developing this important relationship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":42703,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[8,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13611","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-being-single","category-life-with-others"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Your Important Role as an Aunt (or Uncle) - Boundless<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I want my nephew &amp; niece to know I will always love them and be available. 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