My eldest son is my favourite child. I can admit that freely because I only have one child. But studies show that most parents have a favourite child even if they don’t admit it. Or even show it.
A recent article in Time Magazine reports
One oft-cited study showed that about 70% of fathers and 65% of mothers exhibit a preference for one child or another. For fathers, it’s most often the youngest girl; for mothers, it’s typically the oldest boy.If it’s any consolation for Mom and Dad — to say nothing of the unfavored kids — favoritism is hardwired into our species. Since families, at their evolutionary essence, exist principally as a way to get as many genes as possible into the next generation.
Every parent defines the lucky child differently: for some the choice is based on beauty, for others brains, for others birth order.
I come from a family of three girls and I cannot deny that there have been times where all three of us have played the favourite card. I know I am my father’s favourite, although my sisters and he will deny it. I think my middle sister is my mother’s favourite although she will definitely deny it and so will my mother. I guess that makes them good at masking their bias…and it makes me lucky.
Lots of my friends have more than one child and I often think that I can spot their favourite (it always seems like the youngest but that may be because the youngest child seems to need the most attention, and usually they are a whole lot cuter) . In fact I get jealous on their children’s behalves, I am generous with my emotion like that. But I can’t imagine how I would deal with more than one child so I try to temper that jealousy and spoil the child that I think is getting the raw deal. I am quite sure I am wrong some, or most of the time. I sincerely hope so.
Do you think your parents had a favourite child? Do you?
Top Comments
I have 3 kids and can't possibly imagine having a favourite, they are all so different and wonderful and irritating and hilarious and gorgeous and frustrating. But I love them all to bits, as does my husband.
My parents certainly do not have a favourite child. Maybe it was easier for them, because they had one girl and one boy, and me and my brother are so different from each other. He's confident and popular, I'm intelligent and academically inclined.
But I don't think anyone should discuss favouritism so lightly. Because when it boils down to it, you're basically stating that a parent would place one child's life higher than another and in a crisis would rather save their favoured child than the other or others. That is an absolutely horrific thought in my opinion.