As a 23-year-old male who just graduated college, having children of my own has barely even entered my mind. To me, children were just too much work, too stressful. All of the crying, all of the dirty diapers, all of the sleepless nights. Not to mention, the extensive cost of what it takes to raise a child. The thought of children scared me and never could be a real possibility. But, over the past few years my sisters have gotten married and they've had a couple children of their own. So, now I have three nieces and a nephew. I've got to tell you, having them around has really swayed my perspective.

Makayla was the first niece to come along and I had the privilege of living with her for about a year. Being around a little one, it's a lot more fun than I anticipated it to be. Everyday is like a new adventure, a new learning experience. I love passing down my knowledge, the little that I have anyway. I love just watching her learn things on her own and realizing how precious and fascinating a young human life can actually be.

Makayla has really become my little buddy. I love being around her, I would spend everyday with her if I could. I love having conversations with her about the most simple of things, things that sometimes don't even make sense. Like when she has to put her fake baby doll down for a nap, but then wake it up two minutes later because the baby wet itself. She's as funny as you could probably ever imagine with her mispronunciation of words and the funny faces she makes on purpose just to get a laugh.

Being an uncle is awesome and quite frankly, easy. I wouldn't pretend that I could take care of a child just because of my experiences as an uncle. When the baby cries or has a dirty diaper you can just pass them off to their parents. As an uncle, you get to do the fun things. Just watching from afar I can understand that being a parent is extremely difficult and comes with responsibilities that not everyone is cut out for. Really any fool can make a baby, but it takes a man to really raise a child. I might not be fully ready for children for a while. But being around little ones and realizing the love I have for them has certainly made me give more thought to the possibility of having one of my own someday.