SuperBoy’s Tia Kakake: A Lesson in Love from His Aunt

Close family is critical when you have your own little family for the support, love, and time they give to assist in the development and growth of your little people. I’m very blessed with a wonderfully close and supportive family. SuperBoy has lucked out in the fact that my second eldest sister is particularly attuned to children and attentive to him. And she’ll be SweetPea’s Godmother on Mother’s Day, so both of my children will be specially bonded to this sister.

Here’s a typical example of SuperBoy’s relationship with his “Tia KKake” as he calls her. Recently she took him to the community center down the street which also has a little library. Just a little nephew-tia-time. Not only did they run the bases at the baseball field together, but also checked out a number of books including one hilarious number called “Sheep in a Jeep” whose title alone makes him erupt into laughter. He came home talking of all the books he’d seen, the sports’ fields, and the other little boy who’d been there. What a great little outing for him! And what a lovely little break for SweetPea and I to just focus on each other.

She has converted much of her apartment to SuperBoy-friendly living space wherein they roll magnets, learn about the Periodic Table, water color, look at a collection of saints’ holy cards, read Tintin, and dance to all kinds of music. She has taught him American Sigh Language. He spelled out YES the other day. Y-E-S. She has started his love of maps and identifying countries (he points out about 10 or 12 and says their names).

Shes’s basically kid paradise. This sister of mine gives and gives and gives!

She’s a real living lesson in love to me. When I’m feeling selfish and crabby with SuperBoy, or the world in general, I consider how love-filled she is, and what a holy woman she is. And when I see how my son lights up when he sees her, and how desperately he wants to go to her “nest” as he calls her apartment, my heart overfills with happiness that he has such a beautiful role model in his life.