It should be noted here that “hobbies” in this case should provide enrichment to the kids that are in your life tangentially.

Be the cool Aunt/Uncle that inspires. Give kids gifts that create memories and are unique. Open the door to creativity that their patents can’t afford it don’t have the time to manage. Basically, be grandparents with less doting and better knees.

Brewing beer or playing COD doesn’t hit the same way as teaching someone to cook or code or carve wood.

Edit: These are some of my hobbies, I’m saying that I’m also not helping matters, eirher. This isn’t judgment, it’s introspection.

What really dislike about child-free adults…is when they become child-free great-aunts and great-uncles.

They want to spoil the kids as if they are grandparents while also having no idea what kids actually need or want, or what is healthy for them.

And then they ignore the kids parents because they are still the parents aunt/uncle and to them, they are just a kid.