i commend parents for putting so much effort into raising children and loving it. i love my freedom too much to do the same. i just have a great time with my nieces and nephews which is more than enough for me. even for one night of sleepover for the young ones, it tired me so much. having to feed, bathe, clothe, and put them to sleep drives me a bit crazy. oh, and they wake up at the crack of dawn, forget telling to stay in bed.
I don't know about NEVER having kids of my own, but for now I absolutely enjoy being the cool aunt. It can get burdensome as some of my sisters haven't exactly been model parents and some of the kids depend on me heavily. (Several refer to me as "mom") But those kids are what keep me going when I've got nothing else.
I'm right there with you man, me and the wife decided a long time ago we had no interest in kids and this works just fine for us as well!
I think I get what you are saying, although I cant relate. We moved to America when I was 4 and my Aunts/Uncles stayed in Germany. I've gone back to see them many times, but they are still not people I would confide in before my father. Maybe I read into your post too much. Honestly I wish I knew my uncles well enough to confide personal issues with them. So, maybe you are doing something right.
macalu, the reason they talk to you more, and the reason why most nephews have a "cool uncle", is because you don't pay for all their food, shelter, clothing, etc. So to them it hurts less what you might think about their wrongdoings. If kids told their parents straight up, they couldn't live together. You, sir, are needed. Cool stuff. He's Colombian, not Mexican.
Yea, a prerequisite to being a cool uncle is spending time with the kids. the last thing i would expect anybody to do is pour out their emotions to strangers, even if they are "family". i take them to parks, ballgames, festivals, and play video games almost every other weekend. my sister and cousin tells me their kids always ask to come visit. it's a great feeling.
that's awesome. those kids are lucky to have such great uncles and aunts. no such thing as too much love or too many positive role models.
Count me in with the "no thanks" crowd re: kids. I suppose I could change my mind some day, but seeing as how I'm almost 35, it doesn't look like that's going to change. I don't have any sibs, so I won't be an uncle, either. I'll be the "cool uncle who isn't technically family and thus has virtually zero real responsibility" when my friends start reproducing.
My brother and his wife are the "cool uncle" and "cool aunt". Good for them, I guess. I can't imagine my life w/o my boys.
You've gotta be cool and an uncle, you don't fit one of those. I love my nephews bro, I tell them what's what in a manner that isn't childish. I play with them when the "adults" are eating/socializing. It is a curious relationship
I've been the "cool uncle," even with the kids of friends of mine. Always got a kick out of telling them the adventures of my Uncle Felix, who was abducted by aliens from Big Bend on a camping trip during the 1920's. True story!
