Just an Aunt

 They say being an aunt is easy fun, even. You get to play with the babies, spoil them with toys and sweets, and then hand them back when they cry. That’s what people think. They call it “just being an aunt.”

But what most people don’t understand is that being an aunt is everything at least to me.

My story begins not with me, but with my beautiful sister and her loving husband, my dear brother-in-law. When they gave birth to their first child, a precious baby boy named Anda, something inside me shifted. I can’t fully explain it, but it was like my heart opened a new room I never knew was there. A room filled with love, tenderness, and fierce protection. A few years later, when their second child arrived my sweet niece Aka that room grew even bigger.

These two little souls, Anda and Aka, didn’t just make me an aunt. They made me someone I had never been before.

They made me the best version of myself.

From the beginning, it was more than just visits and playdates. I became someone they could run to with open arms, someone who sings their favorite lullabies, who whispers prayers over their tiny heads while they sleep. I became someone who doesn’t need to be their mother to love them like one.

And that’s the secret of aunt life no one tells you:

You don’t birth them, but somehow they still feel like yours.

Watching Anda say his first words, hearing Aka laugh for the first time, feeling their little hands hold mine with full trust…those are the moments that made my world brighter. They made ordinary days feel like holidays. They brought joy that dances through every corner of my life.

In our home, everything changed when they arrived. My parents transformed too suddenly they were no longer just Mom and Dad; they became Grandma and Grandpa. And oh, the joy that brought! Watching my dad play on the floor like a child again, or seeing my mom rock her granddaughter to sleep with a peaceful smile it’s like watching our whole family rediscover love in its purest form.

But here’s something I rarely say out loud:

When it comes to Anda and Aka, I don’t feel like “just” an aunt. I feel like I’m theirs. Entirely.

And they’re mine.

They’ve taught me to be selfless, to be patient, to laugh louder, and to love deeper. I’ve learned that it’s okay to cry when you miss them. That it’s okay to get excited over baby steps and toothless grins. That the simple act of holding a tiny hand can heal something inside your heart.

People often underestimate the power of aunt love. But let me tell you it’s a love that runs wild and true. It’s a love that rushes in like a flood and never leaves. It’s a love that makes you show up at birthdays, at school plays, when they’re sick, when they just want to be held.

Because for me, this isn’t a side role.

This is one of the greatest callings of my life.

When Anda shouts my name with joy, or when Aka clings to me like I’m her whole world, I feel it in my bones:

I was meant to be their aunt.

I was born for this.

So no, I’m not just an aunt.

I am their guardian in spirit, their cheerleader in life, their second mama in disguise. I am the one who will always be there, through every milestone, every heartache, every celebration.

And I thank God every day for my sister and brother-in-law for gifting me the two biggest joys of my life.

To Anda and Aka, I may only ever be “Auntie.”

But to me, they are my heart.

Forever.