Our entire family was thrilled when a new Superhero (my nephew Brady) was brought into the world. But I’ll be honest. I’m not that good with babies. The idea of trying to interact with a tiny human being whose only method of communication is crying freaks me out. How the heck am I supposed to correctly interpret whether babies are cold, hot, poop-y, rash-y, tired, or hungry — or if they just want someone to turn off the TV because they are sick and tired of the 2016 presidential campaign coverage? But as soon as Captain AmeriCute learned how to say “Auntie Kimberly”, I knew that I was destined to be his faithful Superhero Sidekick.
As Brady got older, it became apparent that we shared large strands of DNA. We love music. We tend to get cranky when forced to sit still for group photos. We have perfected “the stare” (passed down from Brady’s “Dadat”, my father), a most excellent way to let everyone around us know we are displeased without having to say a word. We giggle at the same goofy stuff. (Sure, everyone would probably agree that “exploding applesauce” is funny, but who knew that a sign saying, “Please Do Not Sit on the Couch, Thank You” could provide hours of hilarity?) Last year on Mother’s day, we picked out the EXACT SAME CARD for our mothers.
Brady is a highly versatile Superhero whose SuperPowers include intelligence, incredible cuteness, creativity, a delightful sense of humor, boundless energy, and an excellent memory. But when he was diagnosed with developmental delays, I wanted to do something to help. So I started making a series of videos to complement Brady’s school lessons and uploaded them to YouTube, but kept them unlisted. When a few friends commented that the videos might help their own Pint-Sized Superheroes, I decided to make some of the videos public. Then as a birthday gift, Brady’s mom (my sister) set up the AuntieKimberly.com website so that we could reach even more people.
My early childhood education credentials? Zip. Zero. Nada. I just want to help my favorite Superhero with his school and life lessons – and hopefully make him laugh hard enough to snort apple juice out of his nose. And if it helps others, too, all the better. I welcome feedback at Kimberly@auntiekimberly.com.
Auntie Kimberly 