When I returned to Indiana I was at a really low point. I threw myself into participating in family events and found a great opportunity with my nephew’s hockey games. He hasn’t had a lot of consistency in his life so I wanted to be sure to take the opportunity to be a consistent presence whenever possible in a space that he loves. It has been so much fun to interact with the hockey parents as an aunt in the crowd. This routine offers me a great opportunity to see my brother without extra planning and forces me to get out of the house when maybe I’m not really feeling like it. I have never regretted going to a game or staying after to see him and make sure we get our photo! I always try to highlight something he did great in the game and love getting to cheer on his close friends as well. I know it means a lot to him even if he doesn’t have the words as a teenage boy to acknowledge it properly.
