Do you consider your nephews and nieces like your own kids?

Philippines
August 21, 2009 12:47am CST
I have six nephews and nieces with my siblings. They sometimes spend their vacation in our home. It is really hard to discipline and teach them. Especially they are not really my kids. But in spite of it, I love them like my own kids. Do you feel the same way with your nephews and nieces? Or there only among them that you prefer?
5 responses
• United States
31 Oct 09
Hi Izathewzia, I have three older siblings and one younger and they all have kids. I am not close to any of my nieces or nephews with the exception of my sister's two kids. I love them all but since I live with my sister, I am with her kids all the time. I try to teach them if I can but the discipline, I will leave up to my sister unless she is not home, although sometimes we are yelling at the kids at the same time, but I stop as soon as I realize. I try to be very mindful of my sister's views and respect her wishes for what she wants for her kids so I do not overstep my boundaries. I love them like they were mine but I know the mother/child bond is something very special so I will enjoy the Aunt/niece/nephew bond just the same.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
Loving and disciplining our nephews and nieces is a great help to their parents. And it draws us closer to these children.
• United States
12 Oct 09
I don't have any kids of my own yet but I do treat my nieces and nephews as if they were my own. Its actually good practice for me when so day on down the line I do have children. I love spending time with them. I love the relationship I have grown to have with them; it's special and I enjoy seeing them grow.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
I agree with you, it is a good practice so when you already have a children of your own, you know already how to handle and discipline them.
@2babita (1072)
• India
21 Aug 09
Well,i think its quite difficult to compare anyone with our own kids.Yeah,love and feelings will be there but the love and feeling for own children will not be there.We are motherhood we can't dislike but we can't put them to our children's place bcz if they cry we will cry and if they laugh we will laugh.Its totally internal connection.I think so.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
I understand. Motherhood is something so different from being an aunt. You are right in saying that it is incomparable.
@jugsjugs (12967)
13 Feb 10
I do consider my nieces and nephews as my own children,except that i do not see them that often some of them which is a shame.I think that it is great to see them as they can be soo much fun just like my own children,but when they are here with my children as well it gets rather hectic.They class me as the cool aunt as i am the only one that seems to join in aswell as help and talk to them alot where as all the other aunts they say are rather boring.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
6 Sep 09
I have an eight year old nephew and three year old niece that I treat like my own children. Sometimes I have to stop myself from taking over. Sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the discipline line when you are the aunt and not the mother.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
31 Oct 09
It is really depends on the real mom on how she will allow us to discipline her children. Which happens to be our nephews or nieces. But as long as we are doing the right thing, I don't think she will get annoyed with it.