The birth of their baby should have been the culmination of happiness for Emily, but the strange behaviour of their five-year-old son turned their world upside down. As soon as he began to behave differently than usual, Emily sensed that something was wrong. She couldn’t immediately figure out what it was, and the family’s life changed forever.
Emily was a mother of two children. Her life had become quite stressful recently, as she had to look after her eldest son Max and newborn daughter Lisa at the same time.
She didn’t complain, although every day was full of worries – nappy changes, sleepless nights, worries. But a few days ago, Max’s behaviour began to alarm.
Max looked forward to his sister’s appearance. He happily discussed how he would take care of her.
‘In six days you’ll be a big brother!’ – Emily said.
‘Six?’ – Max interjected with surprise.
‘Yes! You’re going to be a big brother!’ – Emily said, smiling.
‘I’m going to boss her around?’ – Max joked.
‘Not exactly, but you’ll be able to help her – changing nappies, reading books, singing.’
‘Can I hold her like a doll?’
‘No, babies require care,’ her husband, Dan, answered Emily.
Max was so enthusiastic as he lovingly rocked his toy, sang songs to her and made plans for the future.
But no one expected things to take a strange turn after the birth.
When contractions started, Emily urgently phoned her husband and they drove to the hospital.
The day of waiting was stressful, Dan supported his wife, but no one could predict what would happen next.
Shortly after giving birth, Emily saw her little Lisa wrapped in a pink blanket.
‘She’s a miracle,’ Dan said as he hugged his wife.
A few hours later, Dan brought Max into the room. Max happily ran up to his sister, looking at her enthusiastically.
‘She’s so small!’ – he admired, gently touching her cheeks.
‘Her name is Lisa,’ Emily said, feeling happy.
But soon the strangeness began.
When they arrived home, Max, at first delighted, began to avoid his sister. He refused to play with her, avoided even looking at the cot.
Emily sat next to Max and asked: ‘What’s wrong? Why won’t you play?’
‘It’s not my sister,’ Max said quietly.
Emily was puzzled, thinking it was just jealousy. But Max continued to insist that he had seen the nurse bring another baby into the room, wrapped in a different blanket.
Emily and Dan immediately went to the hospital, where it became clear that there had been a mistake. Their real daughter was with another family.
A DNA test confirmed that Max was right. They got their real Lisa back.
This case taught Emily an important lesson: children can notice things adults can’t see, and their intuition can lead to the truth.
