Is it true that parents favour one child over another? Does this mean that their parents love them less?

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One would never say "I have a favorite kid" — even if he/she secretly have one. Liking one more than another seems so unfair — so un-motherly/fatherly. I think, It has nothing to do who's the nicest or the most successful. Parents pay more attention to a child who mirrors their own interests – for example, a sporty father may dote on a child who loves hockey. To prevent children from feeling left out, it’s important to encourage their own interests – even if they’re different from the parents’ hobbies. Parents should also be careful not to favor the prettier sibling. Although it seems cruel, the more attractive child can become a favourite. “Some children are naturally very appealing and other people may find the other child more attractive. Longer-term favouritism can be extremely damaging, and it’s a parent’s responsibility to regulate themselves and their partner to make sure that one child isn’t given more attention.

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I think this article summed it up nicely: http://alphamom.com/parenting/does-every-parent-have-a-favorite-child/ And I agree with the article, I feel that most, if not all, parents are wary of playing favourites and strive to be equal to all. During which, one would discover that they really do love every child differently (as they are all very different individuals). To an outsider, it may appear that the parent seemed to favour one particule child over others (perhaps because the child received more attention to the observer) but the parent, as well as each child, would know better. In all, I feel that one shouldn’t be too caught up with having to be equal to all. To me, I don't think a parent would love a child "more" or "less" than another. As long as one recognizes that every child is different and love them for who they are, that will do. :)

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I am the only child and a late child to my parents. 12 yrs post their marriage :) My mum was and still is very close to my eldest cousin who was brought up by my mum. In fact when they were trying to conceive, mum used to take tare of her as her child. Even now sometimes,mum calls me Ruky sometimes by mistake instead of Nanu (my nickname). As a child I did feel mum loved her more than me-even though she was a cousin. But now that some maturity has struck, I am able to see that yes, Mum does have and will always have a special bond with Ruky. But I know that her love for me is endless. As her child I get her love and prioritization always. I feel the same would be with siblings. Love would be unconditional for both but one of the siblings would always be mama's or dada's pet !

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In this article we see that the idea of favoring one child over another is not uncommon: http://www.whattoexpect.com/wom/family-life/1018/the-real-reason-moms-favor-one-child-over-others.aspx In fact, it just means that a parent shares similar values or beliefs with that kid. It might be better to categorize these findings as parents getting along with a certain child more. Not favoring them. It certainly doesn't mean you love them less by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's difficult for a parent to ever say or think that they love a certain child less.

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Yes but it's not so much having a favourite but more like showing love and affection in different ways. For my mom, her clear favourite is my younger brother. My elder brother and I used to detest this and we'd always call her out for being unfair. But as we grew older, we realise that she does love all of us equally but in different ways. For me, it was a little more strict because I was the only girl, for my elder brother who was rebellious, she practised tough love and for my younger brother, because of his age, she paid more attention to, which we saw as more love.

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I am a mother of two now for about a year. But honestly, i feel embrassed about saying this that i am favouring more on one kid instead (my second son) I guess its the amount of bonding you had with the child. I was there fr my second born since birth and been fully breastfeeding him, where the bonds are created. For my elder son, i only started looking after him full time when he was 6 months old. Yes i still dote both of them as my kids. But somehow others will see them i favour more on the younger child rather then the elder child

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I am absolutely certain that all parents strive to love all children equally. It is undeniable though that some parents might resonate better with one child better than the other without intending to do so. Personalities and temperaments can be different so it all boils down to what naturally happens. I'd say parents love equally but it manifests in different ways, depending on what is best for the child. In my case, I was clearly daddy's girl while my brother was mommy's boy and it was all good. Worked out well for us.

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We are three sisters and one brother and though my mother was always partial to me being the youngest, she was never unfair to my other siblings and we never had a problem whatsoever. Parents normally are more sensitive to the needs of a weak child or may be one that needs more protection, but that does not mean that they don't love their other kids. For a mother all kids are equal and at the bottom of her heart she cares for all of them.

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It doesn't mean the parent loves them less but it may seem that way to the children who aren't favourites. I was always my dad's favourite and it always showed. It was also his way to punish the boys through spanking but not the girls. Combined, this made my brother resent me for a long time until we were mature enough to work out our differences.

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