Ha, I fooled ya, huh? I made you believe I'm an 18-year-old father. But, alas, dear reader, I am not. I am an occasional father. What do I mean by this? Well, I have a brother who is almost a year and 9 months old. His name is Matthew. There are times when my mother asks me to take care of him. Although it is a difficult task, I agree to do so, because no one else at the moment can.

Despite not being an actual parent, I have learned some... valuable*... information from taking care of Matthew, that I will now bestow upon you. This can be applied to you and your own baby siblings**, if you have any.

*may not be entirely practical.

**maybe

1. If Your Parents Ask You To Take Care Of Them, Be Prepared To Cancel Every Plan You Had That Day

You can't spend time doing what you want if you have to make sure they're fed, changed into a clean diaper, and aren't throwing the television remote across the living room.

2. The Real Challenge Isn't Changing Their Diaper

The real challenge is getting them to hold still long enough for you to catch them and lay them down.

3. They Watch And Learn

He'll wave back when we leave and say "bye", and he'll wave his hand inwards, in a downward fashion, as if to say, "come, follow me" when he wants us to follow him. And it's all because he's been observing us the whole time.

4. They Are Part Parrot

Matthew can almost completely say "Hi", "Bye", and "Mira", which is Spanish for "Look". Of course, he didn't learn how to say these things from his toys.

5. Even As A College Student, Your Curfew Is 10 PM

Because if they don't sleep, neither does your homeowner, which means more hypothetical threats of you being kicked out of the house.

6. You Watch CBeebies With Them

No matter how confusing it may be, you still wonder why Sarah & Duck has a huge adult audience when it's a show targeted at 4-6 year olds. But you can't blame them because the animation is pretty good.

7. Do Not Leave Dangerous Items Within Their Reach

This happened when Matthew grabbed one of my Cutco knives, walked over to me while I was playing my 3DS, and barely put pressure on my arm. Yes, the photo isn't right-side up, but it was the only way I could get my point across.

8. Their Hugs And Kisses Are The Most Genuine

They're not old enough to know what it means to lie, or hide behind the potential facade of "I love you", or harbor any negative emotion towards you. So when you ask them to give you a hug, they give you a hug, and mean it.