By Christine Ruggeri, CHHC

Benefits of Aunts: What Makes the Aunt-Niece Relationship So Special?

An aunt serves as a trusted female mentor a young girl can turn to when her parents are physically or emotionally unavailable. Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie and bestselling author of SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids, explains that aunts offer a nonjudgemental ear for young girls. This helps them to sort through challenges, knowing that they aren’t alone.

The aunt-niece bond is so special because although an aunt is an older, mother figure, she isn’t the mother. The relationship between an aunt and niece is unique and it’s one that a mother cannot replicate.

When a child or young adult spends time away from her parents, a girl can feel more liberated and more willing to express herself differently than she does at home, says Notkin — adding, “simply through her aunt’s positive influence, world view and way of life, a girl can not only learn more about the world around her, but about herself.”

Read more at DrAxe.com