Spending time with her nephew has led a University of Tennessee student to realize she will be ready for motherhood someday.

Beth McCullah, 22, a junior studying communications, said she always wanted to have children, but it wasn’t until her nephew, Tristen, was born on Nov. 23, 2006, that she knew she was up for the challenge.

“If my brother could do it, maybe I could do it too when the time is right,” McCullah said.

McCullah explained that Stephen, her older brother, was immature when his girlfriend, Jenna Skuza, became pregnant with Tristen.

“My brother was not the ‘dad’ type at all,” McCullah said. “He partied all the time. He couldn’t take care of himself. How was he going to take care of a child?”

McCullah admitted that she also liked to go out with friends, but Tristen changed that.

“I was always out with friends, and I was never home,” she said. “But now I enjoy spending time with family.”

The University of Tennessee isn’t far from McCullah’s home, so she goes back to visit once a month and always makes sure to see her nephew.

“My brother goes to school full-time, and his girlfriend works, so Tristen doesn’t get to see his parents a lot,” McCullah said. “Whenever I go home, I make sure to play with him and give him attention.”

McCullah said she spends quality time with her nephew because she wants to be a role model for him.

“I never had a younger brother or sister, and it’s nice to know I can have an influence on someone’s life,” McCullah said.

Being around Tristen forced McCullah to think about the responsibilities of parenting.

“I still want children just the same,” McCullah said. “[Being around Tristen] just reinforced how much work they are, and all the responsibilities that are involved with parenting.”

McCullah has only one hesitation about having children – the pains of childbirth.
“I always wanted to have children, but I didn’t really want to go through the pain,” she said. “I was hoping by the time I was ready to have kids, guys could have them instead.”

McCullah’s presence in the hospital while Skuza was giving birth reinforced this hesitation.

“I was there when they gave the epidural,” said McCullah. “I almost passed out.”