I am going to be banned from uncle-hood from my own my sweet wife. She has determined that I am probably not the best influence on her two nephews and her niece as well, who range in age from 3 to 8. I don’t put limits on their cookie consumption. I nearly let them watch a movie that had, as the five year old said: shooting and fighting. And then when the little precious three year old came in the kitchen to inform us that her brother hit her, it nearly came out of my mouth…Hit him back! Maybe I should be banned from uncle-hood…

How can I not look in that living room without seeing my own three kids a few years back? I miss those days. If they didn’t have toy guns in their belt, they made guns out of whatever object they could find. They dressed up in all kinds of garb to become cowboys, bad guys, and heroes. They made forts in the linen closet with blankets, or asked me to build one with quilts strewn out over dining room table chairs. We played with cars and trucks on the brick adjacent to the fireplace. The list goes on….Those days are officially over.

It would be wise for me to try a little harder doing this uncle thing with Jan’s nephews and niece. I really don’t want to be banned. My niece and nephew are now 28 and 21. They fondly referred to me as “Uncle Buck” back when they were little. The truth is…they still call me Uncle Buck. There is not much doubt that I corrupted their young minds. I probably told Cody that he could hit Kerri. There is no doubt that I fed them ice cream when I should not have. I can’t believe that my sister did not ban me from uncle-hood back then. Those days are over too.

My niece and nephew are grown. I even have a great-niece who is already 8 years old. My three children are nearly all grown. Jan’s three that are with us this weekend is the last of the nieces and nephews. I better treasure this time. They too will grow up all too fast. When the three year old points an air pump at me, and threatens to “shoot” me with it, it would serve me well to put my hands in the air.

Their childlike innocence reminds me to capture the day and be thankful for what it brings, because time will move on. Children grow up and life changes. Their innocence reminds me that of what is good in the world. I see a lot of darkness everyday. A sprinkling of innocence is a god thing. I am grateful for what today brings. It brings uncle-hood. I really don’t want to be banned from that privilege, so I am on my best behavior….(Fingers crossed behind my back.)