July offers us plenty of opportunities for celebration. Independence Day, the 4th, is one of the most popular holidays in the country. And, on the 22nd, Ratcatcher’s Day, probably the least most popular holiday.
On July 23, we get a twofer: National Hot Dog Day and Vanilla Ice Cream Day. Not a bad combination, if you don’t overdo it. July 24 is Amelia Earhart Day. July 25 is both Culinarians Day and Threading the Needle Day. July 27 is Take Your Pants For A Walk Day, a holiday the world has been waiting centuries to celebrate.
Indisputably, all are fine days for honoring worthy things. But, almost unknown, is July 26, Aunt and Uncle Day. With all these occasions for festivity, joy and recognition, why should we give our attention to Aunt and Uncle Day?
Hilary Clinton said it takes a village to raise a child. Her village must be jammed full of aunts and uncles. They’ve always had a key role in societal development, and that role is growing increasingly vital.
Parents have a thoroughly identified role. Birth the child, feed it, clothe it, house it, send it to school and keep it alive which often demands nagging on it repeatedly.
Grandparents have a special role – spoil, spoil, spoil! “Hi honey, you want a cookie?” “Won’t you have a little more dessert?” “Do you need us to buy you anything?” “Oh, don’t be so tough on her — she’s just a child!” And on.
But when it comes to universal acknowledgement, aunts and uncles are nowhere on the radar screen. They are the unsung heroes of the development of good human beings.
Take Uncle Bob. He wasn’t my uncle, he was uncle to the kids next door, but that didn’t matter. To all of us, he was Uncle Bob. He was cool. We never knew if the top on his Austin Healy convertible worked, because it was always down. Tall and tan, Uncle Bob was a tennis player, often wearing a tennis sweater draped around his neck. But, most importantly, Uncle Bob was interested in us kids.
“What’s happening now?” he’d ask. “Ride your bike today? Got any favorite teachers? What are you going to do on vacation?” He actually listened to our answers. Uncle Bob was a mighty cool man.
To create a human race up to the task of living well on the planet, aunts and uncles play a unique, indispensable role. They help kids learn how to be children. To grow to be real adults, kids need to spend time being real kids.
They need to know how to chew food, which, with wide-open mouths and protruding tongues, can be proudly displayed to their friends. They need to blow bubbles, tell knock-knock jokes very badly, and make cow and chicken sounds. They need to be taught to produce an ear-splitting whistle with two fingers.
Their parents won’t teach them these life skills – in fact, they hope their kids never learn them. Aunts and uncles will have to be the teachers.
Aunts and uncles are the adults most kids can go to for advice; to clear up a puzzlement; to vent about injustices. Remember when your schoolmates boasted that Santa Claus was a fake? Or, the panic before your first school dance – you had no idea how to dance, or even how to ask someone to dance! Maybe the time those friends you thought were your friends dropped you when somebody more popular came around.
Sure, kids in that kind of a pickle can go to their parents, but it’s not so often that their parents are, well, as cool as an Uncle Bob. And, in those matters of such extreme gravity, having a cool adult to consult with is vital.
Parents must often, and rightly, say no to many of their kids’ requests and demands. But, aunts and uncles can, as often, say yes.
“May I have more ice cream?” Why sure.
“Wanna play another game of Monopoly?” You bet.
“Let’s stay up late to watch a movie.” Why not?
Aunts and uncles are responsible parties in the conspiracy of Kids vs. The World, because they remember what it was like to be a kid. July 26 is our chance to celebrate them all. Uncle Bob, now long gone, I still think you are the coolest guy. So, in honor of you, and all who have gone before you, and who will come after you, Happy Aunt and Uncle Day!
I am a somewhat devious uncle and maybe not such a good example as those from your book. Below are some recent photos I took with my niece Jocie. We sent them by phone to her Mom, aunts and grandparents. They were of course pleased. The smokes came from the gag section of the Halloween shop. But I learned that a ten year old can walk into Jack-in-the-box with a cigarette in her mouth and nobody looks surprised.
If you ever write a sequel for a slightly older group of kids I would like to contribute drawings for a very satisfying potato cannon. I can assemble one in less than an hour with one trip to Home Depot and less than $30. It makes a profound bang, is powered by Right Guard and can achieve a range 200 yards. 12-17 year old boys think they are extremely wonderful. So do I.