Layla subtly shifted away from the boy, trying to put some distance between them. She turned to her mother, her eyes serious. âNo, heâs not my brother, Mom! Ever since we returned from the picnic, he hasnât been my brother. Mom, my brotherâs gone. This boy isnât him; he just looks like him.â
Ellinor was confused by her daughterâs words. She looked at the boy, who seemed to be an exact replica of her son, Adrian. How could there be two children who looked exactly the same?
She had only given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. It was impossible for there to be another child who looked exactly like her son.
âLayla, stop talking nonsense.â Ellinor warned her sternly.
Layla looked at her mom, her face serious. âMom, Iâm not making this up. He really isnât my brother!â
The boy didnât challenge Layla. He just stood there, silently looking down at his shoes.
Ellinor felt something was off about the two children. She looked at her daughter. âHow can you prove what youâre saying is true?â
Layla was stumped by her motherâs question. She didnât know how to prove that what she was saying was true. The boy next to her did indeed look exactly like her twin brother. As a twin, she could feel that this boy wasnât Adrian, but she had no way to prove it.
After seeing her daughter speechless, Ellinor couldnât understand what her daughter was trying to do and assumed it was just kids being kids.
âThatâs enough! I donât care whatâs going on between you two, but hitting each other is not acceptable.
Apologize to each other right now, or I will ignore both of you!â Ellinor commanded them sternly.
The boy, after some hesitation, complied with his motherâs command and took the initiative to apologize to Layla. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to step on your doll. Iâm your brother; I shouldnât have hit you back.â
Layla pouted, looking reluctant. âIâm sorry too. I shouldnât have pushed you.â
Now that the children had finally apologized to each other, Ellinorâs expression softened slightly.
âAlright, both of you come here!â
Upon hearing their motherâs call, the two children glanced at each other and then walked to Ellinorâs side.
With one child in each arm, Ellinor spoke softly but sternly. âNo matter what happens, you two and your older brother, Baber, are siblings. Apart from your father and me, you are the closest to each other. You can never harm each other, understand?â
The boy and Layla both nodded in response.
Ellinor continued, her tone serious. âIf you have disagreements, you can talk them out. If talking doesnât work, you can come to me. If you hurt each other again! will be very upset with you.â
The boy and Layla both murmured, âOkayâ¦â
Having said everything she needed to, Ellinor felt there was no real conflict between the two children. It was just a minor incident of a brother accidentally stepping on his sisterâs doll and the sister getting angry.
They were just children, and there was no need to make a big deal out of it. They were both still young and learning.
She didnât want to determine who was right or wrong, nor did she want to overly demand that her children be understanding. It was normal for children to be a bit unreasonable at times.
But hitting each other was where she drew the line.
After a lengthy talk and making sure the children genuinely made up, Ellinor put the kids down and went to pick up Baber, who had been left on the sidelines.