A few months ago, I was sitting in the backseat of my sister’s car with my 4-year-old nephew, Aiden, thinking about how much I loved him. Ever since my sisters started having babies, I’ve been amazed at how much love I feel for these little kids. I wanted to know if Aiden knew how much I loved him, and if he loved me just as much. I was curious, so I asked him: “Aiden, do you know what love is?”

He paused, then confidently responded, “Yes!” 

I asked him what love felt like. 

“It feels like happy!” 

“And do you love anyone?”

He thought for another moment. “You make me happy. I love you!” 

My heart melted instantly. The idea that my little 4-year-old nephew understood and could identify the concept of love blew my mind. His words were something I had been mulling over ever since that interaction. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to know how the growing minds and hearts of my nephews and nieces think about love. So, I called the three of them — Esme, Alexander, and Aiden — for a little interview. Here is our conversation, which will teach you everything you need to know about love. 

Q1: How old are you?

Aiden: “I’m four years old!”

Alexander: “Three.”

Esme: “Two.”

Q2: Do you know what love is?

Aiden: He silently stares at me. “I love you.” I ask him the question again; he shrugs, then does a heart with his hands.

Alexander: “Yes.” He refuses to elaborate.

Esme: She frowns slightly and furrows her eyebrow. She does not stop watching her movie, then cries when her mom takes her tablet. She looks at the camera and says firmly, “No.”

Q3: What does love feel like?

Aiden: He points at his mom and smiles. “It feels happy!”

Alexander: “Toys.” Then, he mumbles, “like poopy,” which is just poop.

Esme: “Mom. Mom, mom, mom, mamamamama. Cozy … Cozy! Cozy!” She begins chanting “cozy cozy cozy!” frantically.

Q4: Do you like feeling love? 

Aiden: “Yeah. Cause it means I love them!”

Alexander: He grins at me knowingly, like we have a secret (we don’t). “Yeah …”

Esme: “Mhm.” She refuses to say more.

Q5: Do you love your mom?

Aiden: “Yes!”

Alexander: He refuses to respond until his mom asks him multiple times. “Yes.” His tone is unconvincing.

Esme: She smiles mischievously. “Nooooo …”

Q6: Who do you love the most?

Aiden: “Mommy! No — Grandma!”

Alexander: “Tía Bela!” His mom, hearing that he said my name and not hers, asks him again. He repeats, “Tía Bela!”

Esme: “Grandma and Mommy.” Her mom says to pick one. Esme says no and begins chanting “Grandma and Mommy!” for a few minutes.

Q7: Do you believe in true love?

Aiden: He nods. “Cause I wuv you.”

Alexander: Bashfully, he says, “Yes.” I ask him why. “I don’t know … maybe Tía Bela!”

Esme: Softly, “yeah.” 

Q8: Do you love me?

Aiden: “Yes, cause … ” he makes a heart with his hands and whispers, “I love you.”

Alexander: “Yeah.” Then, he immediately runs away.

Esme: “No.” I ask her why not, and she perks up. “Oh, I got an idea. I got a song for you. I got a Taylor Swift for you.” She stomps over to the counter and shouts, “ALEXA, PLAY TAYLOR SWIFT!” She points proudly at Alexa and begins dancing around. “She loves this song!” she says, talking about me. She starts singing the song until Grandpa turns it off, and Esme promptly begins fighting him.

Final thoughts? 

Aiden: “I answered this ALREADY!”

Alexander: “Poopy.”

Esme: “I’m going to go poop!” She laughs maniacally. “I’m going to go poop poop!”

This conversation was just as difficult as it was adorable; they are so, so cute, but so, so impatient. I can appreciate that my nephew Alexander said he loved me the most, even if he was just saying that because he was on the phone with me. I’m not surprised by the unanimous love for Grandma — my mom is their favorite person in the whole world, a take I can get behind. 

As silly as this interview was, I will say that I love any opportunity I get to spend time with them and pick at their little brains. I’ve found, in the years that I’ve been a Tía, that I learn more about love, kindness, and joy from these sweet kids than I have from anyone else ever before. So for this upcoming Valentine’s Day, I’m going to hold these lessons close to my heart, and hold my niece and nephews even tighter.