Being a far-away aunt and a far-away relative

[scarlettina]

I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law and my niece. I haven't seen them in nearly two years, and I understand that my niece, who is 12, has changed some since the last time I saw her. It's that time of her life, of course. We'll be seeing each other in the spring and I'm very much looking forward to it. It's funny, though--talking on the phone, her conversational patterns are the same. I have to ask all the questions and I work hard to not ask yes/no questions because that's pretty much all I'll get. But her mom tells me she's reading a lot (which I'm completely delighted about). And when I look at her wishlist on Amazon.com, I see that her tastes are changing, becoming more teenaged girl than they have been before. On the one hand, I hate being so far away and not being able to see her more (not to mention, of course, my brother and sister-in-law). On the other hand, I get to see her grow and change in leaps rather than in tiny increments, and there's something very cool about that.

This weekend, my brother is visiting my cousin P, whom I saw a couple of weeks back. I haven't spoken to him while he's been traveling, but my sister-in-law has. She says she expects him to come home a mess. I don't doubt it. I had such a hard time myself. I know that my last visit is probably the last time I'll see Cousin P; that's true for my bro as well. He heads back to Long Island (from southern CA) today; in fact, he's flying as I type. I don't envy him the flight. I wish I could be there to give him a hug when he lands.

Comments

[herself_nyc]

Maybe you and your niece could Skype some times? Or would you hate that?