How I Became the Best Tía (aunt) without Living in the Same Country
Building relationships is what I’ve been doing in the classroom for over 20 years. What I’ve learned in the class I’ve used with my nieces as well.
I’m going to describe what I’ve used to build an unbreakable bond between my nieces and me. This is important because learning to cultivate strong relationships is also becoming more clear as our society is living buried inside a phone or tablet from birth.
Unfortunately, many people complain about not knowing their kids, students, nieces, or nephews, and it’s because most don’t take the time to develop a healthy relationship.
The main reason is because you’re spoiling them by buying them everything they ask for.
You’re also…
- Not taking the time getting to know them
- Not talking to them daily or weekly
- Not spending 1 on 1 time with them
Guess what? You can start to recover and rebuild the relationship by taking action and doing things differently.
Here’s how step by step:
Step 1: Spoil them with your time!
Giving them your 100% undivided attention is the most important step.
For example, every time I come home to visit my family I have many sleepovers with my nieces. Then throughout my visit, I’m available to do whatever they want.
Step 2: Let your inner kid out.
I know you’re the adult and need to set some boundaries. But don’t prevent yourself from letting loose and having fun.
Let your inner nerd, your goofiness, your inner kid loose. You’ll catch me not only playing with my nieces but their friends as well and all my cousins’ kids as well. I’m the crazy adult kid entertaining and having a blast with the kids.
Step 3: Binge TV Shows and Movies that they love.
This little step worked wonders with my high school students from Day 1. So I applied it with my nieces and we binged Disney movies, TV series for kids, and cartoons. Silly as it may seem, you’ll be conversing for days about the shows.
Do you see what all 3 steps have in common? You’re showing how much you care by not only paying attention but by giving them your time. Soon you’ll be on your way to being crowned the best in your family.
Esther is a teacher, podcaster, digital product creator, and die-hard fan of the Washington State Cougars, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Lakers, & Osasuna. She splits her time between the beach city of Hendaye, France, and the farm in Moses Lake, WA. You’ll catch her using 4 languages daily & she’s also a proud tía (aunt).
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