best date ever

So, you're probably expecting all the details about a date with Bart Savagewood, King of ALL of Persia and the amazing conversation and great food from some exotic restaurant. Sorry to disappoint, but this post is not about that kind of date. This is about a truly amazing date......with my 10 year old nephew.

My need to remain the favorite aunt is uncanny. I'll do just about anything to win over the affection of a munchkin. With my nieces, this is been fairly easy. I know how to win the love of a young girl. We have sleep overs, we paint toe nails, we bake cookies and decorate cupcakes. All things that girls just love. But, with a 10 year old boy, its not so easy. Well, recently it became much easier to win over this kids affection.

One night while babysitting, the kids had all gone to bed and let's be honest, I was bored. I noticed an interesting looking book sitting by the couch. I picked up and began reading "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." This book was great! Unfortunately, I couldn't take the book home with me because Grey was reading it. So, I encouraged him to read it more quickly so I could borrow and read this book. I also learned that they were making the book into a movie. This presented the perfect opportunity to spend some time with my nephew.

And, so our tradition began. We decided that of course we should eat lunch before the movie. And of course that lunch should be at In-N-Out. He's a 10 year old boy, of course he wants a hamburger (with nothing but sauce) and a strawberry milkshake. Then off to the movie! While watching the trailers, we picked a few other shows we wanted to see.

This is the ideal situation for many reasons. One, he's a 10 year old boy, he doesn't really talk much - so we get to have a little time over lunch to discuss what's happening at school, soccer, how he should be nicer to his sisters, you know, normal aunt topics. Two, once we get to the movie, there's no talking allowed (which is perfect, see 1 above). Three, it allows me to do something that my nephew likes and continue to build my relationship with him. And, afterward we got to discuss how far off from the book the movie was and how we liked the book so much better (so glad he's learning that books are better than movies).

Its definitely a great way to bond with my nephew! I can't wait for our next date. I also figure I'm going to use this opportunity to teach the kid to be a gentleman - you know, make him open doors for me, say please and thank you (which he has already perfected) and carry on polite conversation. But, let's be honest, he's already a perfect gentleman and a fine date! I love that I've found a way to spend some quality time with my nephew.