i used to be one of them. i still am, with my nieces. but with my own daughter, i’m stricter.

but i get it now. it has come full circle.

i remember secretly feeding aeva chocolates behind may-ann’s back and how i would whisper, “don’t tell mama, okay?” and we’d look at each other and it was a done deal. we were partners in crime. we loved our lindt thins dark chocolate.

i reckon aunts and nieces/nephews have a different kind of bond. but special, all the same. it’s easier too because they’re not exactly your kids so you’re more like a playmate. you’re in charge of the fun stuff while the moms take care of the hard stuff — disciplining, feeding, or getting them changed after you’re all done playing with bubbles in the tub.

now, i see el2 doing the same thing with raven and i can only just sigh and pass it off as a harmless camaraderie between an aunt and niece. i still kind of tell her to stop feeding her ice cream whenever i can but we both know it’s futile. so most of the time we end up laughing over how funny and cute raven looks when her face gets all scrunched up from the coldness of the initial bite.

but i like that she exposes raven to artsy stuff. she said she wants to take raven on outdoor adventures someday too and i’m cool with that because i’m not exactly outdoorsy myself.

until she can fully walk to a point where she’s capable of a short hike, these artsy stuff will do.

she always waves bye-bye to birds, this kid. but it’s not just birds. oftentimes i catch her waving at strangers too — in restaurants, at the fruit shop, in shopping centres… doesn’t matter where. i lightly complain that this kid is too friendly but it touches my heart to see those strangers waving back or smiling at her in return. like for a moment there, the world feels safe and warm.

and then it’s back to heightened paranoia against pedophiles and assholes. back to regular programming.

playtime extended into bath time. her and el2 playing peek-a-boo with me in the tub. she’s such a happy kid. she makes me really happy.

nevermind that i had to handwash her pajamas to get the paint out of her clothes. it was extra work but i can’t complain. i should’ve done the same thing to her onesie which had paint on it as well but that one i didn’t notice so the supposedly water-based acrylic paint dried on it and no amount of soaking and washing could take it off.

oh, well.

what’s one soiled onesie to a happy childhood?

*raven at 1 year & 1 month old