A Beautiful ResponsibilityI really like wearing a cape (figuratively speaking of course!) and given the opportunity to be a super hero at anytime in my life has, and I am sure will continue to be, ideal. Now, my time has come! Many already know that as the children have grown in my family client base they have attached the name “Auntie A” to refer to me. It is a name of endearment and through it I have a furthered sense of belonging to a great extended family. I rather love that a small child would name me and want to share their thoughts and greater still as a teen actually listen. This has been a long journey in the making.I can argue because I am old enough now to win the argument that although children need us to rear them at all ages it is imperative that they have an adult that they confide in during the teen years. These special years are the most difficult to navigate because of puberty and now with what I call the “Social Situation” just plain scary. Teaching them what to do and to not do is an enormous task and a beautiful responsibility.I try, to be hip and not seem like an old foddy doddy. That is probably why I know a lot about what all my children are doing and questions they have usually get asked openly on a multitude of subjects. Even so I am not stupid enough to think for a minute they are not doing what children do which is test limits and try things on for size. Parenting is different at every age and stage but being trusted and confided in takes time. Through my talks with teens, I came to realize that many do not understand the importance of manners and the future impact of their social behaviors. It might surprise you that most teens do not know how to balance a check book, or understand that all their texts will come back to haunt them. Deep down each of them are looking for solid advice, just not from their parents, that they can make sense of their world and tough decisions.Recently I did a little research to see if I could at all find a place that teens could go to learn about what to do and not do and ask questions about stuff. I found a bunch of etiquette about businesses. I, of course also found all the old stuff about setting a table but what to do when you are being bullied? What to do when someone is pressuring you to do something you do not want to do? Those subjects were next to impossible to find advice and solid facts in an interesting and relatable way. With our lives increasingly influenced by the “social situation” it is surprising that this not taught in our schools. And all at once, I caught a glimpse of my cape.Over the past several months even years I have been transforming into the superhero that I have always known I could be…should be. With the encouragement of my daughter and agent I have developed a show called “Auntie A Says.” It airs on my Youtube channel by the same name and I have developed a weekly episode with a years worth of content for our youth. I am excited to tell you right from wrong in a world that has all but forgotten basic etiquette. I feel like I have fully transformed into the name given to me by our children. Mostly, I hope that I will be able to influence more through social media to make their world a better place.Take Care of YOU!
