Recently,
an old Black Eyed Peas song came on the radio and I found myself
singing as I drove along Hastings seafront; a flashback hit me suddenly, of me and some of my best friends at secondary
school, dancing and singing along to this particular song. I let the
memory fill me up and realised, as a smile stretched across my face,
that those friends of mine – who I once sat with in English and
Maths lessons, doodling all over our exercise books and sampling
sachet lattes brewed by our beloved Drama teacher at break times – are now in serious relationships and have all very recently had babies.
Yep. I can honestly say three of my close friends from secondary school – the ones I'd sing in the car with and wander in the park with and spill sugary coffee all over myself in fits of laughter with – are now happily engaged and each have a baby. How crazy is that?
You know what's even crazier? That a couple of these friends have asked me – ME!!! – to be their kids' Cool Honourary Auntie.
Fine, yes, I may have added the 'cool' prefix. But it's absolutely appropriate, because I intend to be a good influence on these kids as they grow up... and also teach them the nitty gritty things their parents may not want to touch on. Things like sex, body positivity, gender (and how ridiculous a concept it has become), living a more sustainable life, the magic of dressing to suit your skin tone, the evils of the meat and dairy industries, the importance of a good poop, and how wonderful and awful alcohol can be. Oh, I'll also get them subscribed to weekly sex ed vlogs, listening to the best political podcasts, and learning how to save the planet (because let's face it, by the time any kid born this year turns 18, they'll need to have some serious apocalypse survival skills locked in).
I've written on here before about how unsure I am when it comes to having kids; how I have never felt broody, and have only ever seriously considered having them when I was suddenly scared the opportunity had been taken away from me. Well, I'm starting to get my head around the idea, just a tiny bit, but it's still strange and terrifying. And all the while it's strange and terrifying for me, I'm more than happy to adopt and care for my friends' kids in the meantime. I'll shower them with affection, fill their heads with knowledge, dress them in only the finest and most ethically made outfits, and officially be the Cool, Body Positive, Not Obliged to Change Nappies Auntie. You're welcome, my BFFs.
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