Fair treatment for each child

A RECENT British survey found more than one in 10 parents admitting they have a favourite child.

Close to half of the respondents to the survey by discount website MyVouchersCode.co.uk reported feeling a stronger bond with the favourite, citing this as a reason for the preferment. Just under a fifth declared they had a favourite because they liked the same things, while14% admitted feeling that way because their other child misbehaved more often.

Having a favourite child is pretty high on any list of parenting taboos. But Dr Patrick Ryan, director of clinical psychology at UL, says all parents have favourites and we should stop beating ourselves up about it. “Parents should be allowed to say ‘Yes, this child is easy at the moment and she’s a favourite’.”