My niece, Amari, visited for three days last week. She takes her job of being a kid very seriously. She is full of energy, imagination, and constant questions and demands. I love her so much. We did everything I could think of to keep her happy and occupied. I take my job as Super Auntie very seriously.

We went on morning wagon rides around the park, picked flowers and lemons, told stories, read books, made smoothies, scones, and lemonade. We dug out her grandma’s Barbie collection from the depths of the garage, and I let her play with a few of the less breakable items.

She is such a lively firecracker. The toy that kept her entertained the longest was a squirt bottle filled with water. She squirted and “cleaned” everything. A lot of it went down her mouth. I remember doing that as a kid, too.  Water tastes so much better that way.

She absolutely delighted me.

But I was also super glad when bedtime finally rolled around. Playing with a kid all day is exhausting!

Whenever I felt annoyed or tired of being chatted at so much that I couldn’t think straight, I reminded myself that we were making core memories. These are the things Amari will remember and carry on into her life. I feel so special to be part of her memory.  I won’t go into details for privacy’s sake, but this little girl does not have an easy life.

I love that her childhood is filled with smiles and peals of laughter that come so naturally. Children are blessed with optimism. They seem to have plenty of serotonin.

Over three days, we had a crash course in all the fun: baking, tent forts, favorite breakfasts, and mouths full of whipped cream.

I even snuck a few hours away to make a doll with her. She chose the fabric and the hair color and then played with Grandma (my mom) until I could finish sewing it. Dinner got waylayed, and household chores fell by the wayside, like they do. I am Super Auntie, but I can’t do it all. I sure tried, though.

Painting, making messes, and getting lots of one-on-one attention were so good for both of us. I wish I had the resources to do this daily with her like I did with Bug.

We maximized the three days, and I look forward to the next intense Auntie time I get. Her mom promised me that we could do this regularly as she needs a break from momming too. I remember that exhaustion well. It takes a village to give a child have a happy childhood.

Amari is a lot. She goes, goes, goes like an Energizer Bunny until she falls alseep hard like a phone with a dead battery.

And then the next day she’s all charged up to 100% and off we go again.

I love this kid and her wild imagination. She is just like her mom was at this age. It’s like I get Rapunzel all over again.

When I look at the world through her eyes, I am filled with hope. I hope she has all the opportunities she deserves. I hope the obstacles she was born into make her strong and more independent than those who have gone before her. I’m scared for her and all the difficulties she will face, but I am not as full of serotonin.

But I’m getting as much as I can! We both are.  We found this white dog (a Great Pyranese) and told him he looked just like Cody.

The end.