Did your parents have a favourite child?

I have three sisters and I’m the eldest.
We were all the favourite at some point. In fact we used to joke about it and felt that we should have a board like they have in supermarkets.
Ours would have been magnetic and have Daughter of the week in big letters at the top!
Funny though isn’t it how we share a childhood but experience it differently. I learnt a little while ago that one of my sisters was a bit frightened of our dad when he shouted at her. Me, well I stamped my feet and shouted back.

My youngest brother. I think this was because he almost died at birth. He was spoilt a bit as a result but not just by my parents but myself and my brother as well. He was a favourite of all of us and obviously there was no resentment whatsoever. Incidentally he grew up to be one of the nicest people I know. The three of us are very close.

I think it’s probably not possible to be scrupulously fair to each child, sometimes the need of one child is greater than the needs of their siblings.
Some children see this and accept it for what it is, knowing that their parents would do exactly the same for them if the need arose, some make a mental note of everything, looking for any perceived injustice.
It’s not always easy is it?

My brother, definitely, the last of three, ‘a surprise’ and a boy, he got away with so much, even as an adult. As the first I was treated the strictest, to be expected, as I got older I had a lovely relationship with my Dad, less so my Mum. My sister as the middle child was, I saw in latter years, particularly after I left home, in a tricky position.

No, my parents did not have favourites, although my youngest sister was convinced they did and it wasn't her. meanwhile my younger sister and I quite understood and joined in all the fuss around the baby in the family.

When we lived in Malaya she experienced a couple of frightening events, after which my parents were very protective of her, and again we too, older ones understood what had happened and why she was cossetted, so why she was convinced my parents, especially my mother, favoured her older daughters remains a mystery to this day.

No I don't believe either of my parents had a favourite child, we were all treated equally.

I was probably the favourite, rather than my late older sister, four years my senior. She was a very reserved child but more compliant than me. Due to surgery for an umbilical hernia repair, I was rather indulged when young, I think. It appeared that my father liked the fact that I was more like his side of the family, especially his spirited sister, whom I admired for her glamour, but whom my mother regarded as being "no better than she should be"!!

Yes and it was me. I was the 5th out of 6 children. To the others I was goody two shoes.
I stayed at home the longest, my father always said I was my mother’s best friend as well as her daughter.

My brother was definitely favourite. He could do no wrong in her eyes ...'oh poor ......, everything goes wrong for him' she'd say. No, he did some very foolish things and to this day he still does. Mum definitely drove a wedge between us.

downtoearth

Yes, and it was not me.
With a gap of 5 years before I was born, and a gap of 5 years before my brother was born, I do not think either of us where eagerly awaited,growing up we had no reason to think differently.
My brother still quite bitter about it,I have let it go, when my two daughters died, that paled into insignificance .

What a terrible loss for you, I’m so sorry.

I'm the only child and my DM was an only child too. No problems about favouritism except that my maternal GP's spoilt me rotten - when they had been really strict with her. I was the favourite even though a generation apart!

It’s funny how I never thought to resent it at the time, but although money was tight, my mother was desperate for my brother to go to boarding school (it was really a snob thing with her) and he did. Her earnings, once she eventually returned to work, went towards the fees. They were relatively a lot cheaper then, but even so...

Whereas I, who had a free grammar school place, could never be spared the 7/6d an hour for the riding lessons I wanted so badly for a few years.

Not that it bothers me at all now (and I get on fine with my brother) but one reason dh and I only had 2 children was because we had both come from families with 4 children where money was always tight, so we couldn’t have things that many other kids did - and in fact never even bothered asking for, because we knew the answer would be no.

I think we love all our children equally, but when it comes to “liking” it’s different .....that depends on the child’s personality.

It was definitely my brother who was the favourite with my mother. Even when she needed care in her final years, most of which I provided, he could do no wrong and I could do no right!

I don’t think my mum had a favourite but she did have a better relationship with my younger sister than she did with me. I was the ‘test’ child being the first - they learned how to do things with me and were well practised by the time my sister came along!
I don’t resent it but I do understand it.
I have three children and do my very best not to have a favourite. They are all amazing in different ways.

I was born to my parents straight after the war, when my siblings - two sisters and a brother - were adults; working, in fact. It’s true to say I was the apple of my father’s eye (though not my mother’s). Until, that is, my nephew, the first grandson, was born and then I had my nose pushed seriously out of joint, as I watched my father make a tremendous fuss of him and ignore me (he absolutely didn’t, but that’s the way my jealous, fevered child’s imagination had it!). He’s not much younger than me, but as we grew I set out to prove to my father that I was a better ‘boy’ than Michael was, which put my mother’s nose seriously out of joint as she was desperate for me to show some vestige of femininity, and had my grandmother on her case to that effect! It all came out right in the end?!

My brother was my mum's favourite growing up and he still is, despite making a mess of his life. She still tells everyone how good he is. The family know different. He was the darling of my gran too. I was petted and loved until he was born when I was four, then I was ignored. My dad and grandpa did what they could and I suppose I became a daddy's girl. I hope I don't favour either of my children over the other but it would be hard to know.

My sister was the favourite. Four years older than me.

I don't think my father ever forgave me for not being a boy! My mother refused to have any more children so that was that.

It didn't really bother me very much.

I was just thrilled when many years later an uncle, ( not related) asked me how it had been growing up with my sister being the favourite.

I didn't think anyone else had noticed!

My brother is the favourite, I dont mind now as he is the one that is always asked to do things for my mother as she assumes being a man is more capable than the girls in the family.

I am fairly sure I was the favourite. There were just the two of us, me and my elder brother, and I was much more amenable and generally easy than he was. My father always said that they could take me anywhere, whereas my brother might easily embarrass them. I was also better at my school work, something that was very important to my parents.

They tried desperately hard not to show their preference, but brother was certainly very jealous of me when we were children. It all evened out as we grew up, and I think by the time we were adults we were fairly equal in our parents’ eyes.

I have two sons, and I don’t think I really have a favourite. They have different good points. I’m afraid I definitely have a favourite grandchild! I don’t think anyone knows, though. I hope not.

Yes, and it was not me.
With a gap of 5 years before I was born, and a gap of 5 years before my brother was born, I do not think either of us where eagerly awaited,growing up we had no reason to think differently.
My brother still quite bitter about it,I have let it go, when my two daughters died, that paled into insignificance .

My brother was and still is the favourite. I had a brief spell in the sun while I had cancer, but I am back to being the black sheep now.

My mother always favours boys. Bro was the favourite, ridiculously, of my 2 cats, the boy cat was favourite. Unfortunately for my mother, due to the issues between me and her and my brothers family, she has only seen my darling grandson a couple of times. She would have adored him, he is ALL boy.

I had an older brother who was very much a loner. Spent most of his time in his room with his nose in a book and didn't interact with the family.
Mum and dad didn't understand him
I was the favourite, I find that sad.

Yes me!

Not in the way you describe songstress60 but I was the youngest of 5 with 5 years between me and the next youngest and 12 years younger than my eldest brother.

I think I was my siblings favourite too just because I was so much younger than them and a curly headed cutie!! I was spoilt by them all

Yep and it definitely wasn't me either.

Baby brother was right up till mum died! We are over it now but it caused an awful lot of trouble at one stage.

We have 5 children and don't have favourites. They all have their different attributes and drawbacks.