An Aunt's Agony

One of the most glorious days in my life was a week ago when my brother called me at 1:52 AM one morning to say that a couple of minutes ago he became a proud daddy!

The elation I felt was unimaginable! I am not a human child kind of a person, yet I could feel jubilation run through my veins. I guess, to know that your sibling, with whom you played as a child, is now a parent is a beautiful expression of how life transforms with time!

Excited, I told my friends about the happy tidings the next day. The text messages I received were a rude shock! Each and every message read, “Congratulations Aunt/ Aunty!” Aunty! I had indeed become an Aunt. This four/five letter word came with its own agony. The word made me feel defunct! I was no more a part of ‘the’ generation but that of the ‘older’ era! There was no graduation party, no celebrations, yet I had graduated into an Aunt- the biggest agony!

For many moments I felt no happiness, I forgot about my brother, his wife and their child. I only remembered myself, mentally counting every gray hair on my scalp. I visually added to my frowns in the mirror of my soul! The precious life force that had filled me on hearing about the newborn had waned into lethargy. All this because of the word, ‘Aunt’.

There are certain words that trigger the worst of thoughts! The word ‘Aunt’ stands out!

This word has been used since time immemorial to make fun of ladies. A lady judged of trying to act younger than her years is called Aunty. To politely humiliate a girl for no reason at all, the word Aunt is dropped in.

Any word that brands an individual as old or an aging one is detrimental to one’s self-esteem. I make an appeal to all the recent evolved and loving Aunts; yet hate being called one. Don’t let the word agonize you, do not let it threaten you. Make your own name for the baby to address you, allow the baby to call you by the name that everyone addresses you as or search google to find the translation for the word ‘Aunt’ in different languages.

If you ever wanted to be a princess or a particular character in history, something you have always wished for, let your nephew or niece call you that! How about Cleopatra? I bet is sounds nicer than ‘Aunt’! I wouldn’t mind if he calls me Beyonce either

Be unique!

Let the child call you by that special name you have found on the internet or in the dictionary. It will not only sort out the name issue for you, but it will help you build a unique relationship with the new member of the family you instantly have fallen in love with.

Make the Agony of being (called) an Aunt, the pleasure of being the most special person in the new born’s life. Be a friend, a confidante, that terrific someone to look up to during those trying days, or those stormy dreams. Resolve to be that person in whom the child can confide in even when the thought of talking to the parents is scary. Be that person for the child- something more than an Aunt. There is no greater emotion than the selfless love of an aunt. There is no mountain that I will not climb for my nephew, there is no valley I will not jump into for him.

I’ll never fret about my huge distress- the Agony of being called an Aunt! I will ask him to call me Kleio- The Greek Goddess of Poetry, instead.