Friends, Can you believe it?

I rushed to the gym and scanned the crowd for my friends. Plopping into a spot next to Jill, I huffed out a big breath. Others from my class turned around.

"Hi, Chloe, how was your Christmas?" Kelly said.

"Just wait until you hear this. My life is over." I shook my head.

Jill patted my back. "Oh my, what's going on?"

"My momma announced on Christmas Day that she is going to have a baby." There I had said it.

Jill nibbled her bottom lip. "Chloe, I kinda guessed that."

"What?"

"Well, when you told us about the room being painted blue and all, it just sounded like ..."

I cut Jill off. "I guess I should've known. I just didn't want to go there." I folded my arms across my chest. "And, get this, it's a boy! What do I do with a boy?"

Emalie whirled around in her seat. "I thought the same thing when I got a baby brother. But it's not that bad. In fact, my mom told me that he would end up standing up for me when he grew up, since I'm a girl."

I thought about that but still wasn't sure I was convinced.

"I have a little sister," Efrin said. "You could be like friends and do stuff together."

I hadn't thought about it that way.

"But there are times she cried, keeping me up at night." Efrin shrugged.

Brayden nodded. "There are times they can get on your nerves and bug you too."

I remembered something Momma had told me the night before. "Momma told me that she is going to a party for this boy baby. This kid isn't here but he's already having parties and getting presents. Good grief!"

"First grade, line up," a teacher said.

I grabbed my backpack and coat and shuffled down the hallway toward Mrs. Taylor's room.

After talking with my friends about this baby boy situation, I wondered if there really would be some good things involved with having a little brother. Then on the other hand, not everything sounded particularly positive.

I guess in a few months I'll know for sure. I shivered thinking about it.

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If you have a brother or sister, what would you say to Chloe? What good things could you tell her about having a sibling? What bad things might you tell her about having a sibling?

What might you tell Chloe about how she could be a good big sister?