I've always had a feeling that my younger brother is my parent's favorite. Now I have the proof in the pudding. By the way, "proof in the pudding" makes no sense to me. ANYWAY!
While parents may claim they love all their children equally we suspect most kids don't think that's actually true, and according to a new survey those kids are right.
A poll conducted by the online forums Mumsnet and Gransnet finds that more than half of parents admit they love their youngest child the most, with only 26% preferring their eldest kid. As for why the youngest child is more loved, 61% of parents say it’s because their older children are “tricky and demanding.”
A previous study actually suggested the opposite, that the firstborn is more favored, but that study looked at parent behavior as opposed to asking them outright who was their favorite.
Of course some parents feel guilty about loving one child more with Justine Roberts, founder of Gransnet, noting, “Favoritism is one of the last taboos,” although she adds, “The distilled Mumsnet wisdom on this issue is that lots of parents like their children differently: the crucial thing is to love them all wholly.”