Sister documents her brother with Down syndrome being an adorable uncle to her kids

Nobody expected to see Erin Johnson's brother Matt—who has Down syndrome—taking upon the role of a responsible caretaker to her kids. Instead, she believed he would become the fun-loving, goofy uncle to the little ones. Surprisingly enough, Matt seemed to thrive and open up more as a guardian figure to his nephew and niece. In a conversation with Good Morning America, Erin opened up about living with a brother who has Down syndrome and raising kids at the same time.

Erin, who has an Instagram page called @erinadvocates dedicated to documenting her daily life with Matt and her kids, always uploads the wholesome moments her kids share with their beloved Uncle Matt. "I let my brother care for my baby since she was a newborn to now. To see him so soft, so gentle so warm and affectionate toward the kids just kind of caught all of us by surprise," Erin told the outlet.

Erin was pleasantly surprised to see the nurturing and caring side of her brother come out when he had the chance to look after the babies. "I always knew that he was hugely empathetic but seeing the way he reads the kids so well. And he is just so in tune with his own emotions and understands that maybe kids can't communicate their needs and frustrations as much. He is familiar with what that feels like," Erin continued. "So he empathizes with them to a really strong level."

Answering his sister's question about what he likes the most about being an uncle, Matt said without a second thought: "Keeping them safe." He added that he loves laughing with the kids and he is thankful for what he has. In many of the family's Instagram videos, we can see Matt carefully picking up Erin's toddler and even preparing food for the baby.

Uncle Matt is lively and enthusiastic while playing with his niece in the pool and sometimes he takes the kids out on a stroller, pushing it carefully by the side of the road. Erin also posts on her TikTok account where her videos with Matt often go viral. After a video of Matt letting his niece look through his personal fridge got over 5 million views, Erin had a chat with Newsweek. 

"Matt doesn't usually like people going through his stuff, but he was very patient with his niece and let her explore the whole fridge," Erin told the outlet, referring to the viral clip. "Then he redirected her to a water bottle that he knew she was allowed to drink from, and that he knew he would be OK to part with. It was lovely." Viewers couldn't help but shower their love and appreciation for Uncle Matt and his wholesome videos with his sister's kids.

@charlie.lima.mike shared a personal story and wrote: "I've been a sibling to someone with a disability for 26 years and been a support worker for many people with disabilities for 18 years and I can honestly say I have never once seen or heard a doctor's opinion on 'thriving' or quality of life come true, they always underestimate and I love that my job is to help support individuals as they go about proving those 'professionals' wrong and living their life to the best of their ability!"

@merryed01 commented: "All your videos are so precious. Your children are so blessed." @q.rumizi added: "He is a very good role model for my son who has Down syndrome. I want him to grow up to be a nice man like him!" Erin hopes her videos will encourage people to be more compassionate and understanding towards individuals like her brother.