I'm guessing that they are genuine. The guy has pretty much gone out of his way to be there for him, even during stressful times where there was a lot of drama going on. I don't think that he would have stuck around this long if he didn't truly care about him. At the same time, I recognize that it hasn't been THAT long a period of time, it just felt like it has because of so much of what was happening in the past year. This guy, though, is very smart and has been teaching him a lot, spending time with him and being there when nobody else can, sometimes taking days off from work. I look at all this, and I think that he has good intentions. And to answer your second question, as to whether I'd reached my limit, the answer is no. I was, and still am, totally fine with him dangling off of me and being affectionate as much as he wants. It's just that he does that kind of thing to a lot of people, both younger and older, and I don't want him to feel like everyone is going to necessarily be comfortable with him suddenly jumping on them or climbing into their arms all the time. There have been times where he has done that to someone and they weren't necessarily comfortable, and sometimes that happens with his dad, my brother. My intention was more to try and breaking out of the habit of doing that whenever he felt like it, and maybe encourage him to ask first or to keep the needs of others in check or to read their body language. The problem, though, is that this guy kind of encourages him to do that. Again, it's not a big deal. This guy is kind of a lonely person, and so, really, I don't blame him for wanting to spend so much time with my nephew and soaking in all of his affection. I just miss when I could do that. I'm getting over the jealousy though. I just had to rant about it |