An aunt is like a mom, only cooler

People call me a lot of things. Dana, Mom, lady, Ma’am (aarggh!), and probably a few other names that I’d prefer not to know.

Of course, I love the name Mommy the most. But “Aunt Dana” comes in a close second. I always wanted to be a mom, but I never thought about being an aunt, and I was not prepared for how awesome it would be.

I have six wonderful nieces and nephews, and I am particularly close with my sister’s children. Jared is ten months younger than my son, and he would like to be referred to as “Bobby” on my blog. He is one of my subscribers and a reason I keep things PG-13. Jenna is the youngest at age 8, and she is totally cool with using her real name.

Why is being an aunt so great? Let me tell you.

1. I am family, so I can call the kids out on any crap they try to pull. And they do try to pull crap, because they are comfortable with me and don’t feel like they have to be on their best behavior. Because I’m not their mom, however, they are more likely to listen to me when I tell them to cut it out.

2. Like a grandparent, I can do fun things with my niece and nephew, and then give them back for the not so fun things. Unlike a grandparent, I’m not (that) old and wrinkly yet.

3. I am much cooler than my sister, by virtue of the simple fact that I am the aunt and not the mom. It works both ways, though. My kids think Aunt Amy is much cooler than their own mother.

4. When my nephew wins an award at 5th grade graduation, his parents and grandparents are there to see it. But I get a special phone call from the graduate because he wants to share the news with me too. My own kids never tell me anything.

5. When my niece gets an iPod touch and starts texting her family, I am treated to fabulous conversations with an awesome 8 year old. For the three non-iPhone users out there, Jenna’s texts are on the left and mine are on the right.