9 Life Lessons My Nieces and Nephews Have Taught Me

Kids do say the darnedest things, but when you stop to listen, you can learn so much.

I have ten nieces and nephews. I consider myself a very lucky Auntie Lori as I get to share incredible moments learning through the eyes of children. They each have taught me something incredibly special and I wanted to share that with you.

1. There is such a thing as unconditional love. My nephew Alex is my sister's first born, the first time I became an Aunt. Alex taught me what unconditional love was. Yes, I love my parents and siblings more than anything, but holding my nephew for the first time was an experience I will never forget. I remember whispering to him that I was his Auntie Lori and that no matter what, I will always love him and he could never do any wrong in my eyes.

2. Compassion and kindness are the two most important virtues a person can possess. My nephew Jackson is the epitome of compassion and kindness. He shows so much love to those around him. He's the one that will snuggle up so close to you and sit on your lap and tell you how much he loves you. He's the one that on your wedding day, will tell you how radiant you look, how proud of you he is and check on you every few moments to make sure you are doing well. His kindness doesn't go unnoticed by anyone.

3. Be cautious of your actions, as you will influence the actions of others. I was given the opportunity to live with my sister and her husband for a few months and it was one of the greatest times in my life. My niece Danielle was quite young and followed me around like a little puppy dog. On many occasions I would watch my niece use my make-up brushes and pretend to put make-up on like I did. I would see her pick out my socks and she would put them on because that's what I was doing. She would brush her hair with me. She would sit on the couch like me. She did everything like me, because she was so observant.

4. Love everything about yourself. My niece Madysun has taught me that every part of me is beautiful, even if I don't think so. I've always been so jealous of those who have dark curly hair, something I will never have. My lucky niece does! I told her how beautiful her hair was and how I dreamed of having such pretty hair like hers. She ran her hands through my hair and said, 'Why? Your hair is beautiful, unique, and is what makes you, you.' Wow, she's one smart teen.

5. Being smart doesn't make you a nerd, it makes you cool. My nephew Ashton is learning his multiplication. I loved math, but was never good at multiplication. I learned a trick using my hands when I was young that taught me how to do multiplications by 9. I thought I would share the trick with Ashton one day when we were sitting on the couch. To watch him learn it, figure it out on his own, then be able to easily do multiplication by 9 made me so proud.

6. Never lose sight of your creativity and imagination. My niece Sommer is a force to be reckoned with. She is such a Chatty-Kathy and the youngest of her siblings. She is constantly telling me stories, which I'm not sure if they are real or not. Either way, each one of her stories are unique, entertaining, imaginative and all her own. I find so much joy hearing all she has to say.

7. Find joy in the little things around you. My nephew John loves hanging out with me. On our last adventure, I took him to his favorite store, Target. We spent over two hours walking up and down every single aisle in the store. I would assume that most people would be pretty sick of walking around the store after an hour or so, but I just loved it. I watched him look at every toy with wonder in his eyes. We had so much fun sitting on every display chair until we determined which one was the most comfortable. He would stop every few feet to show me a plate, or soap dispenser, or shirt that was, 'the most beautiful-ist thing I ever did seen.' It brought so much joy to him to share those things with me, regardless of how small they were.

8. It's perfectly fine if you don't want to do what everyone else is doing. I love watching my niece Lucy when all the kids are together. At first, she will play with all of her cousins, but it never fails... she always ends up doing something on her own. Sometimes she is walking around exploring the garden, or watching her favorite videos or playing with a toy that the older kids have long forgotten about. I like watching her brain work. She's so smart and sweet and so content doing what she wants to do, even if it's not what everyone else does. It's inspiring to watch someone pave their own way.

9. True friends will always stick by your side, no matter what. Harrison and Charlie were born eleven days apart. They have grown together in every way over the last year and some change. They are always together, and are hilarious. One day, I watched Harrison chomp on Charlie's pacifier. Charlie wasn't having it knocked it out of Harrison's mouth. Charlie picked it up, put it in his mouth and started to walk away. At that moment, Harrison tackled him, grabbed it from Charlie's mouth and pulled as hard as he could on the pacifier. Charlie had the jaws of life on his pacifier and wouldn't budge. Harrison finally pried it free and Charlie bit his finger. The two both cried, looked at each other, laughed and went back to being playing and being best friends.

Kids are incredible. If you just stop and watch, you can learn so much from them.

I can't wait to see what you learn from your kids when you watch them play and run around at the 2nd Annual Kidabaloo on March 19th! It's going to be a fantastic time for the kiddos!