I am currently staying with my sister, who has 5 kids. A lot of people gasp at that, which is odd to me, because I am the third of 8, and so 5 is nothing. Anyway, I will say that they do keep life entertaining.
One of the great pleasures is getting to play librarian for them. One of my roles as Aunt is recommending books. I love it when I strike gold. Mostly, my services are for the 2 oldest, but I had a chance to recommend something for the oldest boy, who just turned 8. It was a special reward to find something for him.
Another of my favorite things to do is listen to the 3 year old play. Kids in general are pretty entertaining to listen to when they don't know you are listening. One night, he had the Mr. Potato Head Darth Vader mask and was humming Star Wars music and doing the Vader breathing.
Three is a very interesting age. They are curious and smart as a whip. My nephew has long since figured out that I tend to have food stashed in various places. (I drive a lot, so I always keep snacks in my car). He learned to unlock my car, which means I have to keep a close eye on my keys. Otherwise, he is liable to break in my car, gorge himself, and one of these days he might figure out the ignition.
He also found my chocolate stash. I kept moving it, but he kept finding it. One day, I pulled out a few pieces, and his sister and I hid them for him to find. Ever since, he asks me once every day or two if I have chocolate. I say no, and he mentions the "chocolate game." It was clearly a hit with him, but I don't think his mom would approve of frequent playing of the game.
For some reason, he really loves my car. Last weekend, we moved his car seat to my car for a few days, and every time I mentioned going somewhere and that he could ride with me, he wanted to leave right then. He has been asking me every day since then if we can go to the store, which is one of the places I took them. Having a three year old for your buddy is a pretty good way to go. He is a master hugger. I do have to be careful about leaving technology laying around. (He has taken to turning on my laptop, and one day it had to reinstall some things in order to start. Love the system restore. I now put my laptop out of reach before I leave the house).
I also became a star by giving the 8-year old a Nerf gun. I suppose being a bit childish helps when it comes to shopping for kids. I hope that is a skill I can always put on my life resume.
Anyway, being an aunt is a fun adventure. Always something to entertain.
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