Niece update!

I will say it publicly. Wonders never cease. I absolutely have nothing to retract from my previous postings on the topic of my niece but I do have some interesting news: we think she's got it!

By "it" I refer to "a clue". When we reach a certain age, there is not a lot we want to hear from older folks and not much we think our parents and family can tell us. A does of reality and truth is almost always like swallowing a tablespoon of Buckley's; "it tastes terrible but it works". In her case, the truth was that it was time for her to be on her own, doing her own thing and taking responsibility for herself. The reality is that it is a hard step to take, it is not an easy transistion and it is that much harder to resist falling back on the old staple of living with the parent(s).

To her credit, as depressing DW and I made her, as frustrating as her quest for a home has been, as disillusioning as her new job has been, she has been determined to struggle through it all, to stick to our contract and to make it work. Yes, she is particular about where she wanted to live and how much she wanted to pay for that lifestyle. Reality quickly set in though when a place she liked, and wanted, and applied for and was told to submit her money in for, then turned around and rejected her because they liked the other candidate more. She was not a happy camper but came home and was back on the Internet hunting for new prospects.

I felt a little pride in seeing how much she has matured since our last fiasco-filled co-residence experiment and while she still has some seasoning to do, I can say to her now "welcome to adulthood". On top of that, the other day her, TC and I were in the kitchen and family room area discussing something and she told TC something that evoked a rare occasion; I was speechless. She had at one point turned to TC and told her that when she grew up, her father was not there for her so she had no real father figure. However, I was there for her and her brother so I was her father figure.

:O Oh yeah. Nothing I could say there and I had to turn away, change subject and eventually leave the area so they did not see the tear welling up in my eye. You think sometimes they just don't get why you do what you do or are they way you are. And then sometimes, occasionally, they let you know that you did make a difference. That is all I could ask for. That is all I wanted to do. And to know that I did, that I continue to do for her and her brother (who should be playing on the Toronto FC if not for some berucratic fuckery), gives me a great feeling. I am sure LB can say the same as he took up the torch as he grew older to be "Good/Fun Uncle" while I was ass-kicking uncle. Now we both are fun and we both kick ass. Tee hee.

So, just to close out, I am proud of my niece, and I hope she continues as she is going and she takes our "from experience" financial advice to heart. We will keep an eye on her as she moves into her new place June 1st and starts her new journey.

Peace.