Tears At Woman’s Moving Message On What It Means To Be An Aunt: ‘100%’

The Internet is constantly abuzz with the joys of becoming a mom—but less discussed are the joys of becoming an aunt.
However, one woman is determined to change this. A video posted to Instagram by Sabra (@lifewithdrsabra) has gone viral after she sung the joys of being an aunt. Since the video was posted, it has received over 507,000 likes. Sabra, 34, spoke to Newsweek about her personal journey of aunthood and why she felt inspired to share it with the world.
“Being an aunt is crazy, like how is this child not actually mine but kind of looks like me, still feels like mine and has my whole heart?” she captioned the video.
Sabra’s life of aunthood extends beyond the niece in her video. As the youngest of four sisters, she is an aunt to five nieces and one nephew. But she is particularly close to the niece pictured, Ayla.
“My niece, Ayla…is eight and we have a particularly special bond because we are so similar,” she said. “She’s witty, she’s fun and she feels like a mini version of me in the way she looks but also the way she acts.”
Although the two are so close, they don’t get to see each other much. The two live in different corners of the world and only manage to meet once or twice a year, Sabra said.
Still, she loves being an auntie and watching her nieces and nephew grow—even from afar.
“It’s amazing to watch them grow and I cherish the special bond we share. Each phase is beautiful,” she said. “I do love the infant and toddler phases when their hands and feet are still so tiny, but I also love it when they’re older and start developing their own personalities and opinions.
“Ultimately, I just love the unconditional and inexplicable love you feel towards another human that’s not even yours, but also let’s be real, it’s great that I can give them back to their parents when they start acting up.”
Sabra’s video resonated with many other aunts online who feel a special connection to their nieces and nephews, without the responsibility of direct motherhood.
“This sums up being an aunt 100 percent,” one person wrote. “My niece is the daughter my sister had for me.”
Many in the comments also pointed out how the roles were similar, even referencing languages other than English that reflect their similarities.
“In Zulu, an aunt is ‘mamncane’ which translates to ‘younger mum’ that’s if your aunt is younger than your mum,” one person wrote. “If they’re older than your mum, it’s ‘mamkhulu’ which is older mum. So yes, your aunt is your mum.”
“In Hindi, a mother is called ‘ma’ and the mother’s sister is called ‘maasi,’ which literally translates to ‘like mother,'” another person wrote. “I had never felt that as immensely as I did until my older sisters’ kids arrived and let me tell you—I would genuinely die a million times for them if it meant that they would be alive and well, and I make sure they know this as they grow up.”