Do you have a favourite child?

Gigervamp

My daughter always used to ask me who was my favourite, as she was sure it was her youngest brother.
My answer to her was always: "DS1 is my favourite, because he was my first baby. You're my favourite, because you're the daughter I dearly wanted. And DS2 is my favourite because he's cute, even if he is hard work."

shop-to-drop

I have three and all three are my favourite for different reasons. I do think about it sometimes you know the scenario where you can only save one and it would be genuinely impossible to choose.

System

No but I do prefer different traits in each of them.

System

My parents made it painfully clear to me all of my life that my sister was their favourite so I always thought I would never treat my children differently.


But now I am a parent (DS 2.5 years DD 5 months) I think it is very difficult to be seen by children as being impartial. Even at this young age they are both very very different. Even if I treated them exactly the same (in my efforts) I think they would see it as different because they are different so I would have to help them in different ways or play with them differently etc.


Not necessarily favouritism, but I do think that it is very possible I may end up paying more attention to one than the other just because they are different and one may need more than the other.

GobbledyGook

Today DD1 is my favoured child. She brought me a glass of milk and a biscuit and has been extremely polite and kind. DD2 and DS have been filled with sugar at a Christmas party and are behaving vile.... In fact they are both in their rooms for time out and they've only been home for an hour!

However tomorrow DD1 has a birthday party and I know she will be over-tired, over-excited and sugar filled so I doubt she'll be my favourite then!

GobbledyGook

Walcott wrote: »

My parents made it painfully clear to me all of my life that my sister was their favourite so I always thought I would never treat my children differently.


But now I am a parent (DS 2.5 years DD 5 months) I think it is very difficult to be seen by children as being impartial. Even at this young age they are both very very different. Even if I treated them exactly the same (in my efforts) I think they would see it as different because they are different so I would have to help them in different ways or play with them differently etc.


Not necessarily favouritism, but I do think that it is very possible I may end up paying more attention to one than the other just because they are different and one may need more than the other.

I think treating them the same is one of the hardest things about parenting.

Children think that 'the same' should be exactly the same whereas to me 'the same' means giving them the same chances.

So my DD2 is very hacked off that at her age DD1 was allowed to walk to the shop. However DD2 is only allowed as far as the park because her road sense (despite hours spent practising with her) is terrible. Trying to explain to her that she's only allowed as far as is safe for her, which was different to DD1, without making DD1 sound 'cleverer' is so difficult. (The cleverer is DD2's feeling, not mine).

que-sera-sera_2

I don't have children yet but I was always, and still am, my dad's 'favourite.' This is common knowledge within the family and is a bone of contention with my younger sister. I think the favouritism stems from the fact that I was his first baby and was very much a daddy's girl.

However, this isn't to say he loves my sister any less. My sister is actually pregnant with my dads very first grandchild, a little boy at that, which my dad is absolutely over the moon about. So I'm almost certain I will be relegated once baba is here...... :rotfl:

pollyanna24

I mirror what someone else has said. My kids r quite young and depending on the mood they're in, I definitely prefer whichever one is behaving better at that particular time. And when ones being really naughty, it's like the other one wants to shows them up and they behave impeccably.

Had that today, the eldest one was an angel, the younger one a nightmare.

rach13

I have a favourite niece

azzabazza

I have two grown up children - daughter lives close by, son lives abroad.

I don't (and never have) had a favourite. I have always treated them equally. However as others have said there have been times I have 'liked' one more than the other especially when we were getting them through their teens.

My children are totally different personalities and they of course take all their best points from their mother!!!!!!!!