I brought my niece to the Self Esteem Workshop 2017, and it changed our relationship. I cannot say that we are in the super close and well-adjusted stage, but Leondra has been opening up to me and has become less rude after the workshop.
When my sister died from a car accident in 2016, she left me her 5-bedroom home, a hefty bank account, and her daughter, my niece, Leondra. I am a 30-year-old paralegal whose life is all about work, work, and work. I do not have time for dating, and more, I do not have time for kids or social life. My career was it for me back then, or so I thought that was life.
Lilly, my sister, was a successful editor, and she has everything that money can buy. I know that she is a good mother to Leondra and that her death was untimely. Leondra and I were not that close, and she did not remember me that well. So, losing her mother and having me as her guardian was too much for the tween.
Leondra was twelve when our paths have crossed, and I had to stop everything at that time to assess the situation. That’s how I am. Assess the situation, focus on a solution, and move. I took leave from work and had to spend time with my niece. It was excruciating at first because my niece was depressed and full of grief, and I did not know how to comfort her. I was grieving myself, and I just lost my sister.
She was also accustomed to a lifestyle that I can only dream of, but then again, Lilly left everything to me as a safe keeper for Leondra. I just did not know how to handle a teenager, my niece, who is now my daughter. And she just lost her mother. How will any other twelve-year-old feel about that?
A friend of mine suggested that I bring Leondra to the workshop since her daughter was going to be there, as well. She lost her husband in 2016 as well, and her daughter was also attending workshops, such as said to build herself. My friend says it has a positive effect on their relationship, and so I did. I brought Leondra. And it was the best thing I ever did for her and us.