Welcome, Lily

I finally have a niece. Lily Teresa was born on July 24th to my brother and sister-in-law. It is their first child. I do have seven nephews, ranging in age from almost 12 to twenty months. It will be quite a novelty to deal with a female child in the family. I'm tempted to say that after years of prowling the "boy" aisles at toy stores for cars, trucks, and weapons of mass destruction, I can now enter those aisles that are dominated by Barbie dolls, pink ponies, and lots of sparkle, but that would be reinforcing gender stereotypes. Lily might turn out to be a tomboy.

Of the four of us (my brother and two sisters), I am the only one without kids, and I'm okay with that. I have always taken the attitude that if I ever got married, I would bend to the will of the woman as to whether children would be happening. If she didn't want them, fine, if she did, fine also. I can barely take care of myself, so raising a child is not something I would rush into. Given my age, it is possible I would hook up with a woman who already has children, which would be a whole other kettle of fish. Most likely, though, is that I'm the perpetual bachelor uncle. It's a role I'm entirely comfortable playing.