Warm Fuzzies

Tonight, I'm feeling thankful... full of warm fuzzies. I'm sure parents can relate to this. Granted, I'm not a parent... I'm the auntie. However, I have been like a second Mom to my soon-to-be 16year old niece. I've experienced all the "parenty" things with her (Thanks to my sister including me in their lives) from the day she was born until now. Fun were the days of barely sleeping when she was an infant, worried if she was OK and whether she needed anything... teething... temperatures... crawling... walking... eating cat food when I wasn't looking (LOL)... teaching her crafts... school plays... concerts... athletics.. and responsibility... drawing the line as a preteen... and now driving. Let's not forget the time I picked her up from daycare, and after we got home I asked where her backpack was. She had it when I signed her out, didn't have it when we got home. She looked at me with a look of dread on her face like "Uh oh, I'm in trouble." I couldn't help but laugh, at which point she laughed, and we got back in the car to go get her backpack. She's always had "her" room in my home. Granted, right now that room is full of my unpacked stuff and she lives an hour away from me so won't be using it much. So, why am I reminiscing and rambling on? When your kids become teenagers, it's rare that they want to hang out with Mom & Dad.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a text message from my niece asking if I would come to her basketball game that was in my city. My plan was to go walking after work, but how could I turn her down? During the team warm-up before the game, my niece yelled my name followed by a big grin and a wave. After the game, I talked to her for a few minutes and she asked which weekend over Spring break she could come and stay with me. For years, I've been dreading the day when the kids don't want to come over to stay. Some are already to that point. So, I feel special that my niece still wants and looks forward to coming to stay. :)