I wouldn't say I'm a bad uncle to my niece and nephew; Quite the contrary in fact, I think I'm a pretty good one; Trustworthy, caring and generous. There's not much I wouldn't do for those little people really and I do what I can for them despite one being in Finland and the other 4,500 kilometres away from where I live here in Australia.
Considering I'm the uncle though, a certain amount of uncle-license is granted; The ability to, or should I say the expectation that I will, teach those little kids some bad habits or spoil them somewhat before sending them home to their mum and dad. It's my duty as the uncle after all.
In 2018 I visited Finland and spent some time with 
What was lacking was a certain Australian-ness and I felt it was my job to verse her in the ways of the Aussie, just a little. I taught her some Australian words, drummed it into her in fact, and to this day she hasn't forgotten. There's a fair chance that if you met her right now she'd greet you with a pretty good rendition of "g'day mate", accent and all, not something you'd expect from a three year old from Finland. She even went to Day Care saying it to the teachers there; Good girl!
Job done uncle G...Until July 2020 at which time the lessons will begin again when I'm over there visiting.
Recently I had my brother here with his 16-month old for Christmas and again, old uncle G had to school him. It's my uncle-duties after all, and I take them seriously.
He's a smart chap, funny too, and he has a sort of mischievous nature, a lot like I did as a kid. I wasn't sure what to teach him as he was quite young however it dawned on me once I met him...You see, he had greeted me with a high five which is legit, however I wanted to take it further so introduced the fist-bump which he took to very well.
I wasn't sure if he would retain it once he left but I've just been told he has been teaching the fist bump to the other kids at day care. Job done, uncle G strikes again. You're welcome parents.
Unfortunately I can't be as much a part of their lives as I would like; The distance is to vast and whilst phone and video chatting is good, there's nothing quite like being with them in real life.
As a couple with no children, Faith and myself I mean, these little ones are the only future we have and they mean the world to us. Sure, they're not mine, but that doesn't mean I can't teach them a thing or two...I hope my influences will be valuable and meaningful for them in life, but I'm sure they'll go home with a bad habit or two after hanging out with the G-man also. That'll be for their parents to sort out.
I think I'll be a cool uncle to them as they grow older though and I'm hoping we can spend more time together although as they get older I guess they won't want to hang out with a crusty old uncle right?
I was really pleased to hear my nephew had retained the fist-bump thing and look forward to teaching him, and my niece, some more stuff as life brings us together in the future.
I don't think I'm the smartest guy in the world, far from it, however I look forward to exerting some influence on these two young people, to help them find an eagerness to learn and develop and to help them design and create the best version of their own lives possible. They will be brought up well by their parents of course, so I hope to be that mate they can always turn to for help, advice and guidance when mum and dad aren't the appropriate people to go to for it. Will I be a cool uncle? Yeah, I think so.
Tomorrow isn't promised - Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default
An original post written by a human
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Image is mine showing Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand