I grew up with three older brothers. The eldest being 36, while the youngest is 30. Out of the three of the boys, only two of them had children. Which made me an aunt at a very young age, I believe I was about eight or nine when my first niece arrived. Since there is a major age gap between my brothers and me, and since they all live far away, I have not had much of the privilege to see my brothers or their kids in a while. Recently, the youngest of my brothers, daughters came to visit for a few weeks while they were looking for a new home. So I got to babysit two of my beautiful nieces, one is 8-years-old and the other one is only 5 months. I am still helping to babysit them and I have learned quite a few things.
1. I cannot wait to have my own kids.
GiphyI have always wanted to be a mom. Even when I younger, I knew I wanted to be one. Although relationships are not my forte, I love kids and have always been good with them. So hanging out with my nieces has taught me that I cannot wait to have my own tiny humans running around that look like the love of my life and myself.
2. I CAN wait to have kids.
GiphyThis is a given, but kids are a handful. Especially when they are first born. I cannot count how many restless nights I have had recently due to taking care of them. I love my sleep so I cannot fathom being a mom right now at this point in my life. I am at no point right now where I am ready to have kids. So sorry mom, give me another 10 years and then we shall see.
3. Babies take a lot of work.
GiphyAs I said prior, kids are a handful. They need a constant level of attention that I do not have right now. Yet, every second with them is very brightening and I enjoy getting to help see them grow for just a short amount of time.
4. Entertainment is key.
GiphyAlong with the increased level of attention, kids need a plethora of entertainment. Not only are they constantly moving, but so are you. It is important to make sure that they are busy -- or napping when given the chance -- to make sure that they are never bored and always entertained.
5. Being a single parent would really suck.
GiphyI do not know how single parents take care of themselves and their children. I give them major props for being able to be everything in one person for themselves and their children. As I said before, kids take a good time and effort to maintain, so a two parent household is so much more convenient and beneficial for children.
This whole experience has taught me that children need so much more than what we give them sometimes. Also, thank god for being an aunt because I can give them back as soon as I get to take care of them. I have also learned that it is super important to mention how children are so much more in charge of our future than we really think. They have the ability to be the generation that fixes everything our generation or the ones prior have messed up. Not only are their little smiles contagious, but they will be the ones to make or break what future we have in store.c
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