While some uncles and aunts master the art of keeping it fair and equal when it comes to their nieces and nephews, others skip the subtly and let everyone know who their favorite is. Then there are those who turn it into a friendly competition, letting siblings battle it out for the coveted top spot.
Duke Harten (@dukeharten), an uncle to four girls, posted a TikTok video about ranking them, and one of the criteria is how fast they greet them on his birthday. He shared the text exchanges between him and his nieces, starting with his 16-year-old niece who was the last to greet him. Duke said thanks, but noted that she was the last of her siblings to greet him and has, therefore, slid down the rankings for best niece. She apologized and said she was at work, but Duke wouldn’t have it. He replied that giving an excuse after an apology makes the “sorry” less authentic, and then followed it up with, “Disappointing. Let’s try and do better next year.”
Next was his 14-year-old niece, who did better than her older sister, but not enough to make it to the top spot. Duke sent her a message that congratulated her for her “timely” greeting, which improved her standing from last place to second place. The 14-year-old didn’t seem happy about it. She apparently didn’t know that she was sitting in the last place before the updated ranking. Duke wrote, “Let’s not live in the past,” to which the girl replied, “Well thanks then!”
The third niece was 12 years old, who Duke described as the only one of his nieces who actually takes the rankings seriously. “The older girls think I’m an idiot and the youngest one is five, so the 12-year-old is the perfect age for this nonsense,” he explained before revealing the text. The 12-year-old took the top spot for her “unprompted” birthday greeting that was sent “in a timely fashion.” Duke texted her the good news, and she replied, “Oh perfect thank you.”
You’d think that was the end, but Duke wanted more from his best niece. “Now compliment me,” he wrote. This confused his niece, who wrote, “You definitely are a wilderness guy?” Duke, not liking the answer, replied, “Yikes. Looks like that #1 slot is in jeopardy.” For context, Duke told his sister and her family that he was planning on going hiking and camping with friends, which they didn’t believe he was cut out for, and his niece was making up for that judgment. The 12-year-old, seeing that her uncle was fishing for a better compliment retained her No. 1 spot with the reply, “your [sic] a great uncle.” The 5-year-old came in last place, but Duke said she doesn’t care.
It’s clear from the texts that Duke shares a loving bond with his nieces, and the rankings are all in good fun. Many took to the comments section to share what they thought, with one saying, “I can’t wait to start doing this,” and another writing, “My 4 nieces are currently infants but I will be using this strategy as they get older.”
Many shared that they also do this with their nieces and nephews, with one sharing that she ranked her nephew 14th place, but didn’t have 14 nephews. Another commenter said they never receive birthday greetings from any of their nieces and nephews, to which Duke replied, “You need to be meaner to them. Then they will crave ur approval.” Others are now invested in Duke’s rankings and are asking him for regular updates about how it’s going, and with the holidays approaching, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll come out on top!
Published: Dec 1, 2024 08:48 am