Hello fellow aunties!
By
Izzy54
,
Dec 17 2021
Hi there! I am new to SavvyAuntie and just wanted to introduce myself. I found this site/forum/community through an article about re-evaluating the role of the PANK (Professional Aunt No Kids) as more women are not having kids.
I was raised in a culture where the multigenerational household was typical and extended family/family friends that feel like family are all auntie/uncle/cousin/etc. Growing up, both my parents worked and my mom's parents moved in with us to help care for me and my siblings. As we grew up and moved out, my parents were later able to care for my aging grandparents. Dad's parents were one state away living with my auntie and they all visited relatively often! It's because of that relationship with my aunt that I placed a lot of value to the auntie relationship.
Growing up, my aunt came to so many school plays and birthdays and other big events and even just informal "just because" times. She was invited to and joined on so many family trips with my nuclear family it was like she was part of it and while when I was younger I maybe didn't appreciate it enough. But now that I am starting to (or hoping to) fulfill that role for the next generation, I can see how much of her time and other resources she devoted to being a fantastic aunt and it's a goal of mine to be that for someone else.
Love that being in this group means I can reference nephews and nieces that I have through non-literal means! I first became an aunt when one of my best friends from elementary school had her first son ~4 years ago. I helped plan the baby shower and even though I had only been able to visit their family once since then, I loved my time meeting him and starting to learn how to Aunt. My friend is expecting baby number 2 due in January and I can't wait to meet my new family member!
I'm also an auntie as a godmother to my "uncle"'s youngest son. I say "Uncle" since he's really my dad's cousin, but culturally basically an uncle. Being a godmother to his son feels full circle - my parents lived with his family when they were young and starting out and when I went to college away from my parents, it was close to his family and it was really nice having that connection and now being able to be that person for someone is really exciting!
My fiance is an uncle to a ~9 year old nephew through his cousin. They've spent a good time together but I've only met him once thus far and already in love.
We aren't sure yet about having kids ourselves - not that we don't want to necessarily, but it's a big decision with a lot of big responsibilities and it may be up to our lifestyles and priorities. I've long been an advocate for non-traditional families/child-raising myself. Right now we focused on wedding planning - aiming for Sept 2023.
Outside of that, I'm an electrical engineer at a small MEP engineering firm that designs Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing systems for commercial buildings. I also am a freelance fashion writer and started a blog what feels like eons ago but in recent years have been focusing on contributing more to local publications rather than self-publishing. Other hobbies include attending live music shows and baking!
That's about it for my journey to aunthood, excited to learn more and participate in this community on how to be the best aunt I can be.