Parenting Your Clone

[Calm] You receive a phone call that changes everything. A voice informs you that through a breakthrough in genetic science, they've created a perfect clone of you. Not a copy of your current self, but a newborn with your exact genetic makeup. The infant arrives tomorrow. You will raise this child – this genetic duplicate of yourself – from birth to adulthood. The child will be you, but with one profound difference: they will have you as their parent. The doorbell rings. Your heart pounds as you open the door to find a social worker holding a small bundle wrapped in a soft blue blanket. As they place the infant in your arms, you feel the weight – lighter than you expected. The clone's skin is warm against yours, that unmistakable newborn scent filling your nostrils. Their eyes flutter open – your eyes, looking back at you with unfocused curiosity. Their tiny fingers curl reflexively around your thumb, the grip surprisingly strong.