It’s hard for me to believe, but my nephew Sean, the youngest of my brother’s children, turns 21 today. This is out of control. I swear to you one minute he was the cutest little baby and the next thing you know he’s off to college and now he can drink legally, and well, it’s a lot for an Aunt to absorb.
I wrote at length about Sean on his birthday last year, and then wrote about seeing him in a rather avant-garde production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. In just a few short weeks I am headed off to Chicago again, this time to see him in his own stage adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, which as he knows, is just about one of my most favorite-est books ever. One of my many joys in life has been introducing the youth to some of my favorite authors. So maybe Aubrey didn’t swoon over Little Women the way I did (I always pictured myself a modern-day Jo) but Sean took to Vonnegut like a fish to water.
Sean is a junior at Northwestern now, with all sorts of accomplishments under his belt, and I’ve decided recently to claim credit for all of his talent, on and off stage. My subtle but powerful influence in his life has been nothing short of extraordinary. His gift for sarcasm, his wit, his good looks, his charm…well I think we all know that was mostly my work. His tuition bills, however, can continue to go to his parents, because I don’t do tuition. I do intuition. Get it? See, this is what I’m saying. A little thing I like to call witty.
At any rate, true love means going to Chicago in February, two years in a row, and that’s just how much I love that kid. If you’re in the area, come check out his show! I will be the one in the audience pointing at him and stage-whispering to everyone that he is my nephew.
I don’t know how I got so lucky to be an Aunt to such amazing kids, but Sean has brought me 21 years of joy and laughter, and I am thrilled to wish him a very happy birthday!!
Being an aunt rocks! I’m auntie to the most awesomest niece ever in the universe (no offence to anyone else’s nieces, it’s not their fault they’re not as cool as mine – she can do an impression of a FISH people. It’s spot on) who is one and a half and it’s already freaking me out that she can walk (a lot faster than me when she is in escape mode) and talk, if “no” and the aforementioned fish impression count.
Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but THE most awesomest awesome niece ever is my niece Aubrey. She’s 25 now (gulp!) but when she was a baby she could stick her entire fist in her mouth. Right up to her wrist. So the fish thing is cute, but, it’s no fist thing. 🙂
Sorry to break it to you, but once you let them walk and talk they grow up on you in the blink of an eye. Enjoy every minute!
You sound like a very proud Aunt!
Man, I wish I was 21 again with the world still ahead of me.
That’s for sure, lots to be proud of with all of them. I don’t think I would go back to 21 again. I think the wisdom and the f* it attitude we acquire as we get older is worth the trade-off!
Aw, this was sweet, Jill. I can tell you’re an incredible, VERY loving aunt. I love how proud you are of him (I would be, too!)
And of course he got his wit from you!!
I’ve been very lucky to have access to three amaze-balls kids, saving me the time and expense of having my own. Ahh, life is good…
Anyone can provide tuition (although most don’t) but only a select few can offer intuition. Priceless!
Thanks Pam, I love a woman who appreciates even my lamest attempts at wit. 🙂
Hi aunt Jill! Thank you for this–it was very sweet.
I’m just going to disappoint you right now while the iron is hot and tell you I’m not actually IN cat’s cradle. I only adapted, scripted and directed it.
Wow. Smart to drop that when there is a good distance between us and you are out of swatting range. Hmm. Since my tickets are non-refundable I guess I’ll still come see the show you ONLY adapted, scripted and directed. Sigh.
Hope you have a great birthday and can’t wait to see you soon! XOXOXO
Awww! You are so lucky. I try to take credit for all the good genes in my family but it only brings hysterical laughter from the older relatives (and there aren’t many of them left!).
My family points at me and laughs so often that I’ve become immune to it…
I found it’s best to ignore them. They probably got the weaker genes from the pool because we hogged all the good ones.
Exactly! They are at the shallow end of the pool whereas we went off the deep end.
Thank you for all of influences. Remember, it takes a village.
Well, I do appreciate you and CJ doing all the heavy lifting.
I think that good fortune is mutual – ’cause these three have a really awesome aunt!
Thanks. I remind them of that ALL the time. Truly. It’s fun to see the gamut of eye-rolling techniques.