The five-year-old uncle

Me, circa Godonlyknows

August 7, 2014
             Day 99

I have a horrible memory when it comes to my early childhood.  I guess there are a few vague recollections about a few small life events here and there, but really not too many. 

So I think it says a lot that I can clearly remember that special day when my first niece was born. 

I was just 5 years old at the time, and I remember people telling me I was about to become an uncle.  Though I'm not sure I fully understood what that meant yet, it did make me feel an immediate sense of responsibility, like some part of me was meant to grow up faster than everyone else.

Though I was still only just 5 years old, my name was already changing--some of the time--from Sean to Uncle Sean.

My niece Shannon, my younger sister Marilyn, my nephew Brendan, and me.

Shannon Patrice was born on August 7, 1980, so she's now 34, and I'm now 39.  How time does fly!  Happy Birthday, Shannon!

I should add, though, growing up with nieces and nephews so close to my age became somewhat confusing. 

Not only was I often mistaken for an older brother instead of an uncle, but my title was used very rarely, too.  It didn't make sense for a peer around my own age to call me his or her uncle, so more often than not, I was just called Sean.  And that was fine with me!

It also made it even weirder and funnier when other younger nieces and nephews absolutely felt more comfortable calling me Uncle Sean, even in some cases when their own older siblings didn't!

But it's all good.  I love all my nieces and nephews (over a dozen of them) very, very much.  And I love my great niece Emma just as much too.  Emma is my niece Ellen's daughter, and she just turned 5 recently...but something tells me she won't be an aunt for quite a while still.  Just as well, because being 5 years old is enough work all on its own!