I don't have any children. I mean, I'm glad that the universe hasn't taken it upon itself to provide me with any because, at 22, I'm not prepared. I'm just trying to get my foot in the door for my career, and taking care of other people's children for large amounts of time is daunting enough.
But, I do have a niece. She's 6-years-old, and she has been my world since the day that my sister told me she was pregnant. I'll be the first to admit that I am that person. When I talk to moms, I relate my own experiences with my niece to that of theirs with their children.
I think that one of the reasons that I hold her so close is the fact that I had to wait six weeks to meet her in addition to the nine months before that. My sister had a difficult birth, and I sat in my aunt's upstairs bedroom at midnight waiting to hear that both of them were OK. As I held an open copy of "To Kill A Mockingbird" to my chest before a nine-weeks-test, I held my breath for the confirmation that they were OK.
Since then, I've spent every waking moment praying for this beautiful gift that was given to my family. It's fair to say that she's the glittery glue that holds our family together. Obviously, I take my job as aunt very serious.
I use Pinterest to create boards of activities and recipes that I think that she would enjoy. I'm always on the lookout for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/My Little Pony merch because she's well-versed in her interests, and she doesn't give a damn about your gender roles.
When she's picked on for her overwhelming innocence, I strike mama bear poses that are similar to those of the maternal figures that I have had in my life.
So, if you haven't gathered, I'm an obnoxious aunt. My aunt has always been there for me. When my parents were working or unavailable, she would cart my brother, our friends and I around even when her own free time was limited. I never went without because she was always willing to give even if all she had to give was her time.
Thankfully, I have her and one of my uncles as great inspiration for what family means even when you're not directly responsible for children of your own.
This means that I love my niece unconditionally even when she's begging for my attention when I have tons of deadlines weighing me down. I love having her around even if that means that she loses out on a rare Pokémon when we're playing Pokémon GO or that she makes me late for work because she needed one last hug before I left.
It means that I would use my last few dollars for whatever she may need, give her my last bite of chocolate cake and let her have the comfiest pillow when we snuggle.
As stressful as it is to love and care for someone so wholly, I can say that she is, without a doubt, worth every worrying moment. She's the funniest, most beautiful, most caring individual that I've ever had the privilege of sharing time and space with.
She loves watching old episodes of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" with me. She likes hot chocolate any month out of the year. She has a strangely adorable fascination with pink cowgirl boots and she likes sprinkles as much as I do.
I'm gonna stop because I could seriously go on and on about how amazing it is to be an aunt to a fantastic tiny human. I can't wait to see the person she grows up to become. My point in telling you all about his magical unicorn is to show you just a few of the wonderful parts about having a child in your life.
Maybe you're not a mother, father, aunt or uncle. Maybe you don't have a desire to be around children at all. If that's the case, then I doubt you made it to this part of the article.
I'm just kidding. You do you, boo. If kids aren't you're thing, then I'm sure you have some pretty cool hobbies.
However, if you do have the chance to be a vital part of a child's life, take every moment in. I know that it sounds cheeky, but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I can't believe the past six years have flown by so quickly.
I beg my sister often, pretty much every other week, to have another baby so that we can start this whole crazy thing over again. She, of course, tells me to have my own, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
As I sit here typing, I can see this beautiful little person who is as much her own person as she is tiny bits of all of my favorite people, and I can't help but hope that I get a chance to be there for every step that she takes in this world and the next. I hope everyone has the chance to experience a joy like this in one way or another.