Dana Gutkowski
Blogger/ Entrepreneur/ Artist/ Best Aunt Ever
My story of adulthood doesn’t start with “And then I got pregnant with, (name).” In fact, I’ve never been pregnant, I’ve gone in labor zero times, and I’ve birthed, you guessed it, no children. I am the mother of none, but the very proud Aunt to four beautiful children. I did absolutely no work to create them, but I will do everything in my power to help raise them.
Background
It’s hard to give a description of myself without also including my family. I’m the youngest of three siblings, having an older sister, Perryn, an older brother, Michael. In addition to my siblings, I also have our older cousin, Jenn, who’s like my sister. We are a close-knit family, albeit sometimes too close. But no matter what, we are always there for each other. Family truly comes first for us.
I was the baby in my family for 22 years. No one close to me had any children and to be honest, it didn’t bother me at all. I was too wrapped up in my own life to notice. In my early 20’s, I acted like I was in my 20’s. I was a self-absorbed, four hour per day commuter, working in New York City and building what I thought was my future. I was determined, self-centered, and at times a bit arrogant.
Little did I know, nothing was together, the career I was building was not my future, and life only got more chaotic as the years passed. Twelve years and three careers later, the only job I never gave up on was being an Aunt.
Nieces and Nephews
In 2005 my niece, Lola (Jenn’s daughter) was born and so was my new perspective on children. Now I cared. I cared a lot. I immediately wanted to be part of her life.
I’d babysit for her at night after work and offer up any free time I had to just to spend time with her. My love for her grew stronger with each visit. Since I hadn’t been around children in that capacity before, I took for granted that babies are born as blank slates.
Fast forward to 2009, my sister had her first child, Layla. Whoa, now my cousin and sister were both Moms. I wasn’t upset that I wasn’t on my way to becoming a mother, I was elated to have more babies in the family. More for me to love.
And my sister wasn’t done there, in 2012 and 2015 she gave birth to my nephews, Jayden and Julian. They are both pure examples of just how different boys are from girls, but nonetheless, I love them all the same.
My nieces and nephews aren’t my children. I don’t provide for them like their parents do by putting clothes on their backs or a roof over their heads. My job is to help with the transformation of these blank slates into little people, wherever and whenever I can.
Aunt life is work.
I’ve been blessed with the title of Aunt and I take it seriously. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I’ll admit, it’s work to stay involved in my nieces and nephews lives. And just like all things that we love, sometimes they drive me completely nuts.
As their Aunt, I wear many hats. Sometimes I’m their best friend and playmate, and sometimes I’m the stick in the mud adult. However, above all, I’m always their Bitay. This job doesn’t come with a paycheck, 401(k), pension, or insurance, but to date, it’s the best return on any investment I’ve ever made – unconditional love.
Artist and Entrepreneur
In addition to being an Aunt, I am also an artist and entrepreneur. Creativity runs in my family, so why not do something with it? I decided to start believing in myself and my abilities. I ditched the daily grind of a city life desk job and have have been committed to building an online business within my Zazzle Store.
My art is an extension of myself. It showcases my personality through both fine art and character illustrations. I work hard to create products that satisfy my imaginative side to support modern women and help Aunts celebrate Aunthood.
