Is it OK to favor one child?

When parents favor one child over another, abuse does not necessarily follow. Favoritism is normal but abuse is not. Mothers and fathers commonly prefer one child to another for many conscious and unconscious reasons.

What happens when parents favor one child over another?

A large proportion of parents consistently favor one child over another. This favoritism can manifest in different ways: more time spent with one child, more affection given, more privileges, less discipline, or less abuse. For example, parents give more attention to newborns than they do to their older children.

Why do parents pick on one child?

The targeted child may remind the parent of a trauma he or she experienced, such as rape, or as Egeland noted, their own abuse. Sometimes, parents target a child for abuse because the child is hyperactive, has a disability, or displays personality traits the parent doesn’t like.

Can a mother love one child more than the other?

The truth is: many parents. Years of research support what many have suspected — most parents have a favorite child. Typically, favoritism has little to do with loving one child more. It is more about how your personality resonates with one child’s personality more than the other’s.

Is it better to have one child or two?

The truth is that having one child as opposed to two or more allows for a much more controlled environment, and there are also fewer relationships in the family to potentially complicate the overall family dynamic.

What are the disadvantages of having only one child?

Disadvantages of having one child

• An only child may grow up lonely.
• An only child has no one to grow up with.
• An only child may get too much pressure from parents, to perform well or excel in school and other activities.
• The parents of an only child tend to be overprotective.

Do parents love their child equally?

Every child needs to feel loved and special in order to thrive. Parents say that they love and cherish their children equally to avoid feeling their own guilt and shame, but often they simply don’t. The bottom line is that you’re no less of a parent for feeling closer to one of your children. It’s normal.