Random Writings on Nephews
I don't get to see my nephews much anymore every since I moved
from Atlanta to Lake City. I get to see them maybe twice a year
and even then my younger nephew Nick is usually sleep so it
doesn't really count. Seeing a family member sleep is like
looking at a picture of them. A snoring, drooling, incoherently
mumbling picture.
I have two nephews and I love them to death. They are the only
people in my family that are younger than me. All my other
family members were already alive when I was born. I has been a
thrilling experience to watch my nephews grow through the
different stages of life. Of course, some stages are more
thrilling than others.
The early baby stages were not very thrilling. All my nephews
did as babies was sleep and cry. At least thats the way it
seemed to me. I'm sure they also ate and pooped, but whenever
possible I was far away during these periods. I learned very
quickly that when it comes to sheer grossness (if that's a real
word) watching a 1-year old eat is rivaled only mammal
childbirth and maybe that episode of Fear Factor where they ate
blended sewer rat. I've seen pictures on Rotten.com that turned
my stomach less. And we won't even start on the pooping.
Once my nephews started talking I was able to get along with
them better. My younger nephew, Nick, who is three, can now
speak fairly well. Last time I saw him he could say a few words.
Now he has a whole vocabulary. It's quite astoinishing to hear
him say something like "Uncle Tim I want to play the train game"
in perfect english. Last year he would have just grunted and
pointed somewhere in the general direction of the computer. He
also sings. My Dad tried to get him to sing 'I've been working
on the Railroad'. He preferred Fat Joe's'Lean Back'.
My oldest nephew, Frankie, is now 8. I had to ask him how old he
was when I started writing this article, because I always forget.
"Frankie, how old are you now"? I asked. "Seven or eight"?
"Eight." he replied, with an expression of total disgust on his
face. "I can't believe you thought I was seven"
I apologized for making such a mistake. I know that confusing an
8-year old with a 7-year old is an offense paramount to
confusing Spiderman with Batman, or SpongeBob with Shrek. I've
learned over the past eight years that age is a very sensitive
subject for children. They say to never ask a woman her age, I
say to never ask an adolescent either.
The older my nephews get the harder they are to wrestle with as
well. When they were small I had to worry about hurting them.
Now, I have to worry about them hurting me, or worse, me hurting
me as I flee from them down the hallway in a desperate attempt
to get to the bathroom and lock myself in.I've found that I have
to prepare for they're visits much like an athlete prepares for
the Olympic. I have to get my body and mind in shape. I run. I
lift weights. I practice my Thunder Power Slams, Killer Elbow
combos and tapping out. And I spend a lot of time on my sprints.
I have a lot more to learn and look forward to as my nephews get
even older. Soon they will be pre-teens and then teenagers. They
will even reach adulthood one day I suppose. One thing I do know
is that no matter what age they are and no matter what phases in
life they are going through I will always love them. They are My
nephews, My family. And the best tag-team wrestlers I know...