A mom of two had social media users in stitches after sharing a video of her eldest daughter “sacrificing her younger sister.”
Before anyone panics, it should be stressed that no toddlers were sacrificed in the making of the video. In fact, the clip has nothing to do with witchcraft but rather serves as a showcase of the adorable bond between two siblings.
India Toplis’ daughters, aged 4 and 2, are already imitating each other, which is how their antics in the footage began.
“So my eldest is learning how to draw shapes currently and she called me in to show me she’d made a circle out of some LED candlelights,” Toplis, from Nottingham in the U.K., told Newsweek. “She got excited and started running around and when she does that her sister wants to join in.”
The resulting chaos, with the younger girl turning in the middle of the circle and her older sister running around the outside in the opposite direction, brought imagery of the occult to mind for Toplis, who saw an opportunity to create a video for her TikTok account, @little_g_raisers.
“I recorded it as it looked so funny and to an adult eye looked like witchcraft,” she said. “It was all just harmless fun I wanted to share.”
Toplis posted the video with an on-screen caption that read: “Walking in on my eldest sacrificing her sister.” She added alongside the video: “I don’t know which gods are being summoned here, buy I’m afraid to find out.”
It’s not uncommon for children to imitate their older sibling. What many might not realize, however, is just how far this may go.
One 2021 study published in the journal Advances in Life Course Research suggested that it might go on into adulthood.
Using data from an analysis of 4,521 people over a 32-year time frame, researchers concluded that people often do things like get married or have children after seeing a sibling do so.
TikTok Reacts
The combination of captions and content proved a big hit among viewers. At the time of writing the video had been watched 2.3 million times, with those tuning in very much in on the joke.
One viewer said: “I’m no parenting expert but like I think you need a priest babe.” Another commented: “I don’t know what spell they are casting, but it is absolutely adorable.”
A third wrote: “As an older sister, this is very understandable.”
Toplis wasn’t surprised by the video’s popularity. “I think it was the funniness of it looking like a human sacrifice, considering they had been screaming at each other moments before,” she said. “I also think those who have more than one child or younger siblings who are now adults are all finding it very relatable.”
Ultimately, Toplis was just happy to see them getting along.
“They love each other, but we do have moments of screaming when they both want the same toy,” she said. “The youngest wants to do whatever her sister is doing so she’s always joining in the shenanigans.”
So, in way, seeing them getting along was quite magical—it’s just a shame the spell could wear off.
The post Laughter as Mom Walks In On Daughter ‘Sacrificing’ Younger Sister appeared first on Newsweek.