Growing up with Friends

When school is over and real jobs begin, friends become distractions from the everyday. They are something to look forward to after a busy week. They can also become an important part of our weekly routine. Tuesday & Thursday night runs and coffee. Tuesday night phone calls after night class, Sunday dinners. They still help us relieve stress but in a quieter more realistic way. Not drinking too much, now it is running too much or laughing too much. We would rather spend our time together Sunday morning over pedicures than Saturday night at the bar. There are now more people to consider when we are making plans. It is not just her and I. Now it is her, I, husband and kids. But the more the merrier. Life was not meant to be lived in isolation. All those nights at the bars brought the wonderful husbands into our lives and now life has moved past that stage. This is the diapers and pureed dinner stage. It is chaotic but it is joyful. It is full of life and full of surprises. I love this stage. I love the joy, the budgets, the figuring out who you really are and where you fit in this world. I didn’t plan the path that got me where I am today but I wouldn’t change it. I am a friend and I am part of the family. My role isn't Mom, my role is Auntie.

Introduction

This blog is about friendship and expanding that friendship to encompass the family. This blog is about family and expanding the family to encompass the friendship. In order to be a good Auntie, you need to be a good friend. Even if it means being a good friend to your sister. What is an Auntie? Do you have to be related by blood or can you be related by love? Can I love my friend’s kids and my sister’s kids? Is there a limit to how much love a heart can hold? There is a limit to how many hours in a day. How do we find balance in how we spend those hours? Where is the balance? Can it be different every week? Everyday? Can one more person divide the work 3 ways? Is there room for 1 more member in your friend’s family?