Ask any parent who their favourite child is and they’ll likely deny having such a preposterous thought. But contrary to popular opinion, it seems every parent does favour one child over the other—and it’s usually the eldest. According to a study published by the Journal of Marriage and Family, 75 percent of mothers report feeling closer to one adult child over another.
And just in case you thought it was a generational thing, well, it isn’t: the same study was conducted 10 years earlier with the same results. Oh, and if you’re the youngest child, you’re probably the one who’s being ripped off: another study conducted by the University of California says younger children are more likely to report “having low self-esteem caused by their parents’ favouritism than first-born children, suggesting that it is generally older siblings who receive special treatment.”
Minds. Blown.
Wonder what Sridevi’s daughters would have to say about these findings…
According to The Favourite Child author Ellen Weber Libby, PhD though, most parents probably don’t realise they’re emitting signs of favouritism. “Denying your favouritism is the worst thing a parent can do, because it will make you less likely to pay attention to it,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “Parents need to know that favouritism is normal.”
However, she does admit that preferential treatment can be damaging to one’s self-esteem. “When preferential treatment is consistently focused on just one child or is used to boost a parent’s self-esteem and feed their own ego, then it can easily cross the line to being unhealthy,” she said.
Either way, the research totally means you can confront your parents and hopefully guilt them into admitting what you (and your siblings) have known all along.
From: Elle Australia
