The Hydrangea: Why Not Give Special Aunts A Day And Flower?

 

Aunts are a special gift to children. They are not required to be caring and thoughtful, but choose to be.  That is what makes the relationship so special.

Since aunts can be a second mother,  why not have a special holiday for them, and make the hydrangea the right flower for the day? Since hydrangeas come into their own in summer, lets make the special day in June.

Perhaps give a purple hydrangea because this color conveys how you appreciate being deeply understood by your special aunt.  In the language of flowers, a violet hue radiates appreciation and says that the giver wants the recipient to know that their efforts are valued.

Or you might choose a pink hydrangea. This color says you are grateful for her support. It is also extra special because a hydrangea’s shape has been described as resembling a beating heart full of love.

The aunt relationship is growing in importance because more and more women are choosing not to have children. The reasons vary. Careers can be so demanding and some professions don’t have the bandwidth that allows flexible time to raise children ideally.  Or some people intuitively know that they don’t have the patience to be as great as a parent as they would like to be and prefer to devote time to other passions.

Still, others don’t want to settle and never found the right partner worthy of marriage and having children.

A recent survey found that 28.9 percent of women ages 30-34 are child free. The National Center for Health Statistics in 2013 said that there were just  62.9 births for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the US – an all-time low. (Though these studies are misleading because, in 2019, the starting age of having children is increasingly in the 20’s.)

What these studies reveal is that thankfully we are in an age of choices.

Furthermore, parents so welcome the co-parenting skills of their siblings. Aunts are not only confidants to children but can act as a mediator as well as a babysitter. It also expands the definition of love.

Isn’t it interesting that in the language of flowers, it would be a hydrangea that conveys an aunt’s love?  The plant is low-maintenance but delivers big blooms that require very little care.

But appreciation is always valued. So tell your aunt how special she is to you with a gift of hydrangeas.