Favourite child? Do you have one?

[ChipsCheeseAndGravey]

Hi, so I am one of 5. My mum only has one and the rest are my dads from two previous relationships. Some of my half siblings lived with us when I was growing up. We have a running family joke that I’m my dad’s favourite and my half brother is my mum’s. I don’t think my mum actually has a favourite, if she does she doesn’t show it much but my half brother and her do get on very well and have more similar interests. I do think my dad has a favourite though (me). I was talking to a friend who is also from a large family and she said all parents have favourites, even mums. I have some questions relating to this:

1. if you have multiple siblings do you think your parents have favourites? What was it that made their favourite the favourite?

2. do you have a favourite child? Why are they your favourite?

3. does your DH have a favourite child?

4. if you have live in step children do you love them as much as your own child? I genuinely think my mum loves my brother and sister who lived with us full time as much as me. Partly because they lived with us from a young age, had lived with her for 7 years when she got pregnant with me. If she doesn’t love us all the same amount she does a really good job of hiding it.

Also common that the youngest is the favourite

I think the youngest is often easier because you’re more experienced and therefore more relaxed as parents. We have a large gap between nos 2 & 3 and we’re older parents with him so we’re just too knackered to care and don’t get so wound up by him really!

I didn’t mean thir

Whichever one is actually doing as I asked him at that moment, or rather the one that at any moment in time isn't doing something to drive me mad...it changes all the time.
I love them both dearly but they go through phases of being more or less challenging and/or pleasant to be around

Yes sometimes I find it weird when my older siblings talk about my parents. It’s like they were parented by different people to me, they were much more relaxed with me from the sounds of it.

My mum and dad had favourites. It definitely was never me.

With my own children I think we all tend to favour our youngest at the moment (including his siblings.) But generally no, I love them all the same and like them based on the way they are behaving that day.

I do

My youngest, unexpected and born 6 weeks early

He is also such a lovely kid, 15 and cares so much for everyone

I have 3. Obviously I love them all the same and would do anything for all of them.
DS1 has ASD/PDA and can be a complete nightmare, he takes up most of my energy, but I do think we get along the best, when he's feeling calm. I also worry about him the most.
DD1 drives me mad, she rubs me up the wrong way and we have the biggest personality clash. I try really, really hard with her but I think she would say she's not my favourite. It's not intentional. I just don't 'get' her.
DS2 is an absolute ray of sunshine but he does his own thing and I don't feel like he needs me so much or that we are as closely bonded as with DS1. He is the most physically affectionate though, which is lovely (he's 5).
So I think from an objective view, DS1 might seem like my favourite, but it's not really favouritism more like understanding.

One of my four is easy to look after, kind and more caring than the others. They work hard at school and don’t get into any trouble. They are a delight to spend time with. Absolutely my favourite, but who can blame me?! 😆

I adore each one of them, absolutely and unconditionally, and love them all in different ways. Some of them make me work harder than others, though!

I love all three equally. But little DS is my favourite, because he has no bad quality at all. He's 100% joy. DD is lovely but spoiled by dad and is becoming a brat. Eldest DS is a teen and just a pain in the ass most days, who we all irritate by our mere existence

I suspect when little DS hits teen years, eldest DS may become my favourite. Teens are a rule unto themselves.

Nope love them both the same.
But i am their favourite.

I have a favourite of my only child, the level of favourite varies from day to day

I have 2 and definitely don’t have a favourite . I was the youngest of 3 and my parents never appeared to have favourites .

My kids ask me all the time who my favourite it. I tell them whoever is behaving at the time. I don't have a favourite, but I do love it when it's just DD & I as she's easier.

My DB WAS my parents favourite. Just the penis thing, I'm afraid. He got all the opportunities & time. However, DF had a bad accident last year & DB swanned in for a grand total of 12 hours, under duress. My parents quickly realised I was the one around to help them in their old age. DM has even offered child care over the school holidays! I'm in shock!!

1. my dad had a favourite, my sister. But he still loves me to pieces and I adore her so i don’t mind. If I had us as kids I’d pick her too 😂
2. both my kids are my favourites for different reasons. One is more calm to be around the other is more fun. The fun one is also into culture and we do loads of stuff like art galleries together (and laugh for hours) and my calmer one is also mega sporty and makes me so proud, he’s kind and a good friend.

I favour them for different things. Like dd2 is much more cuddly and affectionate which I like but dd1 is very sensible, helpful and low maintenance and I like her for that especially when dd2 is having a tantrum day so I chop and change who I like best 😂😂😂😂

1 - I don't think they had a favourite as such but I was very unwell from my early teens onwards and took up a lot of my parents time and attention so my sister suffered because of that. They didn't love me more, I needed more help. They handled it badly.

2 no. Unless the cat counts. Then it's the cat

3 if he does he's never said.

4 n/a

My mum always said she didn't have a favourite, she hated us all equally. Haha!

My gran said she didn't have a favourite but if she did it would be my dad.

DHs favourite is my DSD, she's mine too. But she's cute and funny and well behaved meanwhile her teenager brothers are lazy, selfish and smelly.

I find the very concept horrifying reminds me of Sophie’s choice. Absolutely no favourite here and same with my own family. Remember my mum being horrified when a friend of hers asked which was her favourite grandchild and went on to explain which was hers and why.

My mother’s old school friend was terrible for this - even as a teen I could see her son was the favourite. As an adult the school friends dd went no contact with her own mother for it and my mum supported the dd doing so. It was an awful sad mess