Mommies and Aunties

I am going to be an auntie. I am already an aunt through marriage. But in five short months I will be auntie - that's what we say on my side of the family. My little sister and her husband will have their very own baby boy, Carter. I'm excited for them!

Yet for all the joy that a new child brings, I have cause for complaint. The questions, the comments, the nosy busybodies who presume to have insight into my reaction to my sister's pregnancy. They are my complaint.

Don't misunderstand; I'm not bothered by questions from those who know where I'm coming from. My husband and I married with the agreement that children will always be welcomed in our home. After nearly four years, there is, of course, frustration and disappointment that we have yet to be so blessed. I find comfort in the understanding of those who have taken the time to know me that well.

But there remain those who assume that we approach having children as our culture approaches it - as something to be controlled and postponed until we decide that we are ready. (Honestly, is anyone ever truly ready?) Ladies at church have jokingly commented about me being jealous of my sister. Some freely ask when my husband and I plan to follow suit, once again assuming that we view having children as purely under our control and of our own power. You know what they say about people who assume.

Yes, I am very happy for my sister. Am I jealous? I don't think so. At any rate it isn't a conscious struggle. Even if it were, could anyone really blame me if they knew the situation?

To those who make such thoughtless comments, I want to point out the shallowness of their worldview and their false assumption that I share the same flippant attitude toward having children. Instead, I point them to Christ. "It will happen in the Lord's time," I say. And I truly believe that. Whether with medical intervention or not, whether by conception or adoption, I do hope one day to be called "Mom." Until then, I am glad to be "Auntie."

Carter