Did you have a favourite parent? Does your child?

The idea of parents having a favourite child is controversial. But kids have no qualms about playing favourites with their parents. Did you have a favourite parent? Did your favourite change? Mamamia reader Andy* has this problem with her son and needs some advice. She writes…..

I wanted to talk about my toddler. More importantly my toddler loving his father more than his mother..

He is 19 months old and we now also have a four month old baby. There was jealousy at the start but now my toddler seems to have wiped me from his Christmas card list.

Particularly embarrassing is when he is misbehaving in public and I go to comfort him, he pushes away and seeks out his father. I’m Mummy – shouldn’t I be the important one? Aren’t I the one who was pregnant for all that time, gave birth and cared for him?

He won’t usually eat anything that I offer him, even if his father is eating the same thing he will push my hand away and point to Daddy.

It has almost got to the point where he is my husband’s baby and our new baby is “my” baby. I feel like I don’t know him as well as my husband does.

I’m really really offended. My guilt and regret over not being able to breastfeed him is at the front of my mind. Did we not bond properly? Does he know that I didn’t know what to do with him when he was a tiny infant and for the most part Daddy took over with a confidence that I never possessed?

I am happily breastfeeding baby number two and can feel a real bond, so did I miss out on that with my toddler. I’m not wanting this to be a post about breastfeeding though.

Does anyone else experience the heart break associated with a child’s rejection? If so does it get better and what did you do about it?