I’m one of three children and I would openly admit I am my mother’s favourite. This could be because my brother and sister are much older and I was left to grow up with just my mum. Nowadays she has no contact with my brother and sister so I guess I unquestionably became the golden boy. I didn’t deliberately go looking for it, it just evolved over time, but looking back on my childhood I was spoilt by my mum and tended to get what I wanted if of course she could afford it.
Most of my readers will know I’m a father a father of five children and I was wondering if I favour one child more than another. I would like to think I don’t, but sometimes I go the extra inch for one or another child or I give in so easily to demands. Does that mean I am favouring any of my children over the other children? I don’t think so.
When we were on holidays in Majorca last summer we had a day out to the local marine park. In the gift shop we started out with one toy each for my five year old twin girls. After about 20 minutes and lots of indecision by the twins they finished up with four toys each. I might add they weren’t demanding, I just got carried away! My impatience also got the better of me and it seemed easy to have all four rather than wait another 30 minutes for a decision to be made, haha! A rare occurrence or maybe not!
When my 19 year old daughter was in school she would only have to ring me because she was late for school or it was raining and say can I have a lift to school please dad, and for reasons beyond my understanding I would just do it. Just the another day my 17 year old son rang me while I was in work to ask for a lift to the building society and then to school to pick something up and I just very easily said no I’m too busy. On ocassions he would say to me sorry I forgot I’m not my sister.
Does that mean I am favouring my daughter more than son? Of course I do many things for him but when it comes it. Little things like that I tend to say no.
My eldest daughter is without question my mother’s favourite grandchild. She does in my mother’s eyes no wrong and it has been a long standing joke amongst us all. If only she knew the truth about her! She might not be the favourite then. Only kidding ! She is a good girl. She is very independent and does that mean I would do less for her because I consider she can just get on with by herself?
So I have five children and I don’t think I favour one more than the other I certainly love them all equally, but favouritism is taken out of context because you may do more for one child than you do for another. That doesn’t mean surely that they are your favourite.
Do you favour one child more than the others? Would love to hear your thoughts!
2 Comments
David
February 4, 2017 at 7:50 am
Nice post, Nige. (I feel like a say that a lot about your posts. But I mean it. Really enjoy your writing.)
We’ve had the same conversation here because it can seem that Little Man gets a lot of my time at the expense of Fidget. Both are daddy’s little limpets. But Fidget is growing fast and loving independence but can get a little jealous. It’s definitely a balancing act to stop either one feeling excluded.
Becky | Bringing up the Berneys
February 4, 2017 at 11:38 am
Great post! 🙂 I often wonder if I favour one of my kids over the other, I don’t think I do! One is 6 and the other is 1, but as a step mum I missed out on the “baby phase” with my eldest, so maybe I do spend more time with the youngest, but I don’t favour one over the other.
really enjoyed reading this!
– becky x