The Favorite

As a parent, if we have more than one child, we would always like to think that we treat all our children fairly and love them all equally. My mom is no different. She has 4 children, 2 daughters and 2 sons, with my sister and I being the eldest and youngest respectively and my two brothers in between.

Through the years, I have never felt that I'm my mom's favorite in any way. But when my husband came into my life and the interaction between him and my family increased, he told me that it is so obvious that I'm my mom's most precious child while my second brother is her least favorite. Perhaps, because we have lived with it for so long as a family, we don't particularly feel it but to an outsider, the fact is as clear as night and day. In fact, till this day, my husband always likes to tease my mom about it and of course, she always insists that she loves all her children the same.

As to my husband's family, all his sisters grudgingly acknowledge that he is the apple of their mother's eye. I think that's mainly because he is not only the youngest, but also the only son in the family.

Right now, I have only one child and therefore, I have yet to be able to explore the issue of favoritism as a parent. But for those parents who have more than one child out there, deep down in your heart, do you feel that you might just love one a teeny weeny bit more than another? That you might just have a slightly stronger attachment to a particular son or daughter? Come on, be honest...