I'VE never really thought of myself as maternal. Instead, I rate myself as someone with the full potential to be a fun aunt — the one who lets you do things your mother wouldn't, the one who is much cooler than your parents, but also the one you wouldn't leave a child with for more than three days.
But as fate would have it, my sister was due to deliver her second child, and her firstborn, my 3-year-old nephew, had chicken pox, which meant he had to be separated from her.
There was nobody, absolutely nobody else left to care for him except me, a full-grown adult with no other commitments.
Now, as much as my sister loves me, she knows exactly what I am capable (or not capable) of, and naturally she was concerned.
Alas, there were no other options and as my nephew was dropped off into my care, I was left wondering what I had gotten myself into.
TRIBULATIONS AND TRIUMPHS
Of course, I had babysat my nephew before, although only for a few hours.
It was not until we had to spend an entire week together that I had a full grasp of what it's like to be a mother to a toddler. For starters, it really is a full time job.
He woke up before I did in the mornings. From then on, it was an entire day of constant attention, from feeding to showering to drawing the same picture of a cat 57 times! And let's not forget the endless need to keep an eye on him.
Toddlers are always trying to do something completely hazardous. Despite the challenges, I did get the privilege of spending time with my nephew, which was a rare treat.
I got to witness his innocent and endearing reactions to things around him. We also played ball in the park, simple video games, and we read together at bedtime.
A child experiences joy in the simple things and that's something I will always cherish.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT
I have always known parenting to be hard. Most of my friends are parents, and they often describe it as a battle — with too much work and very little sleep.
Adding to the mix is the constant feeling of not doing a good enough job, and yet never having time for themselves.
But I never truly understood this until I had a little taste of it myself. I thought I was doing quite well until I got distracted for just a few minutes and caught my nephew eating toothpaste in the bathroom.
And sometimes, for absolutely no reason, he would throw a tantrum loud enough to cause a migraine. And why do they wake up in the middle of the night to ask for milk? I have no idea.
Unfortunately, there isn't a manual on how to care for a tiny person. You try your best, and you cut yourself some slack over the things that you may lack. There are always good qualities within ourselves that can be used to nurture another human being.
