Hi Melanie,
Thank you for opening up this topic. I absolutely adore this platform for Aunties!
My personal tastes lead me to suggest less celebrity Auntie stories. Celebs already get so much attention, let's focus more on the everyday Aunties who can be highlighted for who they are and how they care for the children in their lives - let's make our own celebrities! I would love to see a featured Auntie each month who is being recognized in the email and on the website. There could be a monthly submission and one Auntie's story would be chosen to be featured.
I think it is very important to continue to present information on children's health, learning, and development. I hope to see more articles that take a critical look at traditional understandings of these topics: articles that will generate discussion and even debate. There are so many controversial topics out there, let's really dig into them. For instance, let's discuss how to talk with parents about vaccines, but let's also get some excellent, critical, non-mainstream articles about vaccines that can help inform our discussions and our opinions. Another interesting topic could be the possible connection between food allergies and autism. Maybe these have already been done and I simply missed them, but you get the idea.
The Dear Savvy Auntie advice column is one of the best aspects of Savvy Auntie; I would certainly like to see more of this! Also: is there a way to throw my hat in for this job?! What a great gig :)
Keep up the good work in presenting activity ideas - these are always fun to read and try!
A while ago I read something you wrote on ways to lead a positive, productive, and admirable life. I very much enjoyed the idea behind the list you made. I would like to see more articles addressing positive psychology and how it applies to Aunthood. I've seen many forum posts in which Aunties are upset about the way they've been treated in the family (excluded, left out, not considered valid, censored, etc.), and while I find it beneficial to discuss these feelings and find workable solutions (because let's face it, these things totally happen), I would also like to see a part of this platform that is dedicated to helping Aunties improve their own inner lives so that these slights don't mean so much or hit so hard when they do happen. This could come in the form of information on loving yourself - even lists like the one you wrote, which give practical steps to general enlightenment. I would really like to see more on the topic of how loving detachment is one of the best tools in a Savvy Auntie's tool box. Give Aunties even more to put in their toolbox: create a list of books that address how we perceive life and how to live our best life. Examples might include: The Four Agreements, The Power of Now, The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents, The Happiness Advantage, and others. You might even provide links to Ted Talks or other inspirational forums on these topics. I think positive psychology could be a category all in itself, but it is extra special when applied to the topic of Aunthood.
Thank you for this space to add my two cents. I hope I've been of some help and I look forward to the future of Savvy Auntie!
~Auntie Weezy