A baby sister arrives for little Leroy

The anticipation has been growing for months. How would little Leroy, who has been the center of the universe for his 22 months of life, react to having a new baby in the house – and a sister at that?

My grandson Leroy has been the one and only for nearly two years, and on July 15, his sister Esme was born, arriving home a week later after a hospital stay.

My good friend, former pastor and adopted mom, Patricia, loves to tell the story of how she was queen of the world until, at age 5, “THEY” arrived – twin sisters who got all of the attention.

“You don’t love me anymore,” little Patricia wailed to her parents as she stuck out her lower lip.

In my case, I had an older brother and sister, and there was a seven-year age gap between me and sister Betsy, eight years for Risty. So I kind of had the world by the tail until brother James came along when I was 3.

I don’t recall having a feeling of sibling rivalry, though he said I used to hit him in the stomach. I don’t recall doing so, but if I did, I’m glad he forgave me, because we are extremely close as brothers to this day.

Not all siblings get along well, and many don’t get along at all. Some have been estranged for many years as adults and there’s outright hostility. That’s truly unfortunate, because, as I have found in my own life, a brother can be a best friend, sharing a history unmatched by any other relationship. Same with sisters.

Brother James was a far better athlete than I was, but I didn’t begrudge him that status. I kept the stats while he struck out batters as one of the top American Legion pitchers in Wyoming. Jealous? Heck, no! I was proud of him. And our father was the coach.

James and I share too many things to count – a love of Wyoming, music, hiking, baseball, the Wyoming Cowboys, history, talking politics, our mother’s sense of humor – and tendency for self-deprecation – and a long-standing ability to talk about almost anything and enjoy our shared history.

Though they were older, I also had a strong relationship with brother Risty and sister Betsy growing up and into adulthood, both huge and important parts of my life.

But each family is different. Family dynamics can be a challenging, delicate thing through which to maneuver. Sibling relationships can be difficult, often painful.

And so, when daughter Danielle introduced little Leroy to his newborn sister Esme Monday afternoon, we wondered what his reaction would be. I couldn’t be there, but the video recording was moving as the little guy came down the steps after a nap, paused, smiled at his baby sister as he moved close and gave her several loving hugs. And then, while holding her, he offered her his binky, perhaps his most prized possession. The look on his face was priceless.

There will still be many challenges, with Leroy no longer the center of the universe. But that’s good, too, and he will adapt. The love is clearly there, along with kindness and a gentle nature.

Sibling rivalry? Time will tell, but Leroy and Esme may well become best friends for life. They are certainly off to a great start.