In the 1960’s comedy duo The Smother’s Brothers made a running joke of their mother’s favorite choice of children, Tommy charging his brother Dick on their TV show, “Mom always liked you best!”
It’s the third rail of parenthood that no one with more than one child wants to discuss.
Yes, parents do have favorites. It’s human nature.
In a survey of 384 families with at least two kids, who were within four year in age, 74% of mothers confess to favoring one more than the other. And 70% of dads.
When KTRH News went onto the streets to ask Houstonians if parents have favorites, most people we talked with agreed, but the conversations quickly broke down to why each either was, or was not, the favorite.
Researchers found firstborns aren’t too sensitive, but it’s those further down the birth order. Many youngest borns also said they felt favored. If you were in the middle, yes, mom and dad loved you. Probably as much. Maybe just not every day.