By: Katie Harrison


If you aren’t an aunt to a sibling’s child, and don’t have children of your own, you may be in the same boat as I am. I’ve got two young cousins who make me an aunt. It's a different kind of ABR - Aunt by Relation! 

My two little cousins (second cousins, to be precise) are four- soon-to-be five, and three- soon-to-be four. They’re at the age where their imagination is quite active, and their energy and enthusiasm to play all day begins the second they wake up and lasts to the minute their head hits the pillow at night.

My cousins mean the world to me, and I truly believe they know how much I love them, even at their young age. A couple of weeks ago, they were talking with their parents and naming people who love them. They named their four grandparents on both sides of the family, their uncle, and me. When I was told this story, my heart was overwhelmed with joy and love and I couldn’t help but smile.

When I see my cousins at a family get together, they are asking to play as soon as I get there—and I do. I’ll play with them until the second I head home. Bringing a smile to their faces, making them laugh, boosting their imaginations, and giving them hugs and kisses at the end of the night, makes my heart flutter. I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my time than with those two adorable kids.

I may not be an aunt in the traditional sense, but my relationship with my cousins is just as special. I’m still someone they look up to, someone they play with, and someone to confide in.


Photo: fotokiev
Published: February 23, 2016