Cousins: Family Comes First (Asheville family photographer)

My life of boys, thankfully, has a little balance to it. It comes in the form of a sweet, adorable, 5-year-old niece who smiles when the boys yell, obeys when the boys do not, and sits calmly on my lap when the boys run in fear. She’s my respite in the daily chaos of weird smells, loud noises, and old pizza left on bedroom floors that goes with raising boys.

But one thing she’s provided, that overrides any damage the boys might have done, is the chance to watch my little men interact with their young cousin in a loving and gentle way. They play, run, show her tricks and are truly excited to spend time with her. And she loves spending time with them, “the big one” and “the little one.”

It reminds me of growing up as the only niece in a family full of male cousins. Again, I’ve always, ALWAYS been surrounded by boys. Thanksgivings at my aunt and uncle’s house, with their four sons, included many life lessons like…how to stuff a sibling in a bean bag and successfully shove them down the stairs. Or…how to fart in a jar, bottle it, and release it at a later date. This is stuff you can’t learn in a classroom, people!

I’m not sure if my boys will share with her the practical side of flatulence or how to hurl humans down great heights. (I REALLY hope they bypass the latter one.) But I do hope they teach her what a good guy looks like, how later in life she shouldn’t settle for the so-so ones, and that no matter what happens, they’ve always got her back!