Uncle Rafi

Today I babysat for my mother and my sister Karina for a couple of hours. My mother, who looks after my almost-9-month-old nephew most weekdays, had to run a few errands this morning. So I went over to her house to look after Karina's son Frankie. He is growing so fast and is trying to talk and is crawling already. He's got the "mama," tata," and "dada' sounds down at his young age. And he loves to laugh, loves to be tickled. My little niece, Victoria, who will be three in November, loves her young cousin. She understands that she is no longer the youngest one in our family. Since she still is in her "terrible twos," there are times when she does not like to share with Frankie. When Frankie is in his walker, she will ask us to remove him from it and she will climb in it herself. She loves to baby him, like she babies her dolls and stuffed animals, but she is also quick to scold him. If Frankie starts grabbing at her hair or reaching for one of her toys, Victoria's immediate retort is, "No, Nano (her name for him) no!" or "No touch, it's mine!" It's kind of a cute behavior to witness actually.
I forgot to mention it, but Frankie was christened/baptized last month, and Karina and Frank asked me to be little Frankie's godfather. It was such an honor for me.
I love that both my sisters have becomed parents in the last 3 years. It is so incredible! My mother couldn't be any happier to finally be a grandmother. She had been pressuring my sisters, and even gay moi, into having children. She was seeing friends around her age becoming grandparents, and was beginning to feel left out. Since she is Latin American and an old-fashioned Catholic, she was afraid that both Monica and Karina, who were 28 and 33 respectively when they gave birth, were being seeing as old maids. As for me, my mother still thinks I may have a child someday. I tell her that my cats are her grandchildren, and she frowns. She has even suggested that I have a child with one fo my many female friends. Just have a baby, no marriage, no commitment. Like in the movies, she said!. As old-fashioned as she is, she shocks me sometimes with how modern she is as well!
At the time, babies are not for me. I love my friends' babies...they are popping up all over the place. And I adore my niece and nephew. But I see what hard work they are to keep and feed and nurture and protect and tend to... I am a parent vicariously through my sisters, and friends. At the time, I am quite content with my role of uncle.