Auntie: Respectable term for a female older than you Ok, its an easy one this week--but this is also one i particularly like. Almost everyone who has spent any time here in the islands adopts this term. It is a good way to teach kids to respect their elders, but it is also implies inclusion in a family that you are not related to.
The girls on my soccer team go between calling me Coach Jessi and Auntie Jessi. My friends kids all call me Auntie Jessi and at school sometimes, instead of the kids calling me Ms. Burns or Ms. Jessi, they may call me simply "Auntie". Kids aren't the only ones to use this term though. Many times I notice grown adults referring to their elders, whether we are in a store, or church or in the schools as Auntie.
"Uncle" is used the same way when referring to males. So Mike and I are almost always Auntie Jessi and Uncle Mike. With the absence of blood family here HI, hearing a kid call me Auntie Jessi helps my feel included and a part of a family here. I believe that is one reason it has been so easy fitting in here.
Fire Fairies 2008
2 Little Girls and all their Aunties
1 comment:
I love it!
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