My not-so-maternal instinct: I refuse to lie to my kids

It was my younger sister’s 40th birthday party; she had just told us—her parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, niece and nephews—that she was pregnant. While she mingled with her other guests, we tittered over the news. My youngest, age 9, jumped up and down. “Isn’t it wonderful?” beamed my father. I agreed that it was. He grinned at me: “Maybe it will even make you maternal.”
What? “I’m maternal,” I squeaked. We were