Merry and Nathan were about to have a second baby, and their son, Tony, was excited to have a new sister. But when they brought the baby home, he said, “She’s not my sister.” At first, they thought he was jealous, but then they decided to do a DNA test, and the results were unexpected.
Merry and Nathan were the kind of couple that people envied. They had a fairytale wedding and now lived like the perfect American couple in a suburban area of Washington D.C.
During Merry’s first pregnancy, they both decided that she would become a stay-at-home mom to raise their kids, as Nathan was successful enough to support the family. Still, their lives remained almost perfect.
Merry made sure that her house always smelled of cinnamon and baked goods and every area was spotless, even during the last weeks of her pregnancy.
Their firstborn, Tony, was a delight. He cried at night, but they loved him dearly. He started showing signs of incredible intelligence early on, and they were amazed.
Merry started considering therapy for their son to help with this issue, but he had another idea.
“Maybe we should consider private school for him and special lessons,” Nathan suggested, smiling at the thought of his son possibly being a genius.
“He’s just a toddler, darling. We have time to think about that,” his wife answered, shaking her head at his enthusiasm.
Tony grew smarter every day, and when they told him Merry was pregnant again, he loved the idea. He would rub her belly often and even tried to protect his mother from harm, although he was barely five years old. Merry thought the whole thing was beautiful to witness and couldn’t imagine having a better life than this.
When Merry went into labor, she didn’t want Tony alone at home while she and her husband was in the hospital so she asked her mother, Mrs. Callahan, to watch him.
Merry had a difficult labor and doctors were forced to perform an emergency C-section. She was sedated, and Nathan fainted during the procedure because of his blood phobia.
A few hours later, they got to meet their newborn daughter, Marissa. They sat in the hospital room bed, surrounded by the sounds of machines and other equipment, admiring the baby as she nursed from Merry. It was a gorgeous moment, second only to when Tony was born.
“Another beautiful baby, darling. Thank you so much,” Nathan said, kissing his wife’s forehead as the baby kept feeding.
“I can’t wait for Tony to meet her. He’s going to be the best big brother in the world! Although I hope he’s not too protective,” Merry joked, looking at the baby tenderly.
They were discharged a few days later, and Tony was jumping up and down their front porch next to his grandmother when they pulled up in the driveway. He rushed to them as Nathan got the car seat out and placed it on the ground so he could get a better look.
Mrs. Callahan went to help her daughter get out of the passenger seat so they could all witness that precious moment. But what happened next was unexpected.
“Tony, this is your sister, Marissa. Say hello to her,” Nathan said as Merry approached slowly with the older woman.
Instead of smiling as they hoped, Tony frowned at the baby. He shook his head vigorously and uttered something they had never imagined. “She’s not my sister,” he said slowly, looking up at his dad.
“What are you talking about? Of course, she is,” Nathan countered, urging his son to look at the baby again.
“Why does she have light hair and blue eyes? We all have brown hair and brown eyes,” Tony said, his voice petulant.
“It’s hard to explain, honey. But it happens sometimes,” Merry interjected gently. However, Tony shook his head again and rushed into the house.
Merry and Nathan looked toward the house in worry, then Mrs. Callahan chimed in. “Don’t worry, guys. This happens sometimes with new siblings. Tony is probably just jealous of the attention she’s going to get. Just reassure him of that and everything will pass.”
The older woman’s words calmed them down, and they went into the house, hopeful she was right.
However, nothing changed. For weeks, Tony was adamant that the baby was not his sister. Merry started considering therapy for their son to help with this issue, but Nathan had another idea. “What if we get a DNA test?”
“What do you mean? Tony wouldn’t even understand those things,” Merry countered, frowning.
“Tony is smart. We could explain that it’s solid evidence and that it proves she is his sister. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try therapy,” Nathan insisted, and Merry agreed because it sounded reasonable.
Unfortunately, the results of the DNA test didn’t make sense. “This is impossible! How can this child not be our baby?” Merry yelled and threw the paper to the floor.
“Honey, we have to call the hospital immediately,” Nathan said, keeping a reasonable tone. But he was also mad, scared, confused, and everything else his wife felt.
Their ordeal led to a huge investigation in the hospital, and they had to contact all the parents of babies born that day until they finally found the most likely baby. The swap was heartbreaking as both families had had time to adapt to the baby they had taken home. But it was the right thing to do.
On the drive back home, Nathan marveled at something. “Tony knew immediately that she was not his sister. I wonder what he’ll say now.”
“Her hair is darker like us. But her eyes are still blue,” Merry said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what will happen.”
To their utter shock, Tony took one look at the new baby, the real Marissa, and smiled brightly. “This is my sister!” he exclaimed happily.
They grew up as best friends.
What can we learn from this story?
Sometimes, children can sense things that adults don’t understand. Tony knew straight away that the baby his parents brought home was not his sister. But no one would ever understand why or how he knew.
Always do the best thing for your children. Merry was considering therapy for her son, which was a great recourse considering their child’s unusual reaction to his sister. But Nathan wanted to try something else for his sake. Both of them only wanted the best for him.