Deciding to have kids or not is a huge decision. Kids are incredibly demanding and life-changing, and it really takes someone special to be a caretaker in that capacity.

When engineer William Osman was approached by his wife, Chelsea, with a request to have kids, he worried about the kind of parent he'd be.

Photo: YOuTube/William Osman

While some people would jump into parenthood without much thought, William wanted to be sure he had what it takes to be a fit parent. He wanted to test drive the responsibility, so he set out to rent a raccoon.

Given how high-demand raccoons are, similar to how children are, Osman thought being responsible for one would be similar to being responsible for a human.

Photo: YOuTube/William Osman

Raccoons require a lot of work, including baby-proofing and constant attention. While they level of responsibility isn't quite the same as having a child, which comes with stronger legal implications, it's a good test drive either way.

Thankfully, Osman documented his journey of raccoon ownership and shared it on YouTube. He said in the video:

"Maybe being a parent isn't about things going right but learning how to deal with things going wrong. I doubt it was my parent's plan for me to smear poop on the walls or flatten my nose when I face-planted into the concrete floor, but what do I know? I'm just an idiot who rented a raccoon thinking it would behave like a child."

Photo: YOuTube/William Osman

He ended the video by saying, "But am I ready to have a kid."

If you'd like to learn more about his experiment for yourself, be sure to check out his video below: