Why do many parents often favor their youngest child?
There's no doubt that a lot of parents favor their youngest child. But have you ever wondered why this came to be?
It's all about perception
According to a recent study, the reason why the youngest are always seen as the "favorite" is because they're always perceived as the favorite child. This means that if the youngest child feels that their parents favor them compared to their siblings (even if their parents favor someone else), they'll usually have a better relationship with their parents.
The researchers of the study "anticipated that youth who perceived themselves as favored would develop better relationships with their mothers and fathers" and they "expected that these patterns would be stronger for secondborns".
The study added, "In all four models when secondborns perceived themselves as favoured in terms of receiving less discipline, both mothers and fathers reported more positive relationships."
In short, if a child believes that they're the favorite child, they really do become the favorite, even if that wasn't the case before.
So what does this mean for parents?
This discovery means that while it's unavoidable for parents to have favorites, a good way of preventing their children from feeling left out would be to make each of their children feel like they're the favorite child.
This means treating them equally and making them feel that they're all unique and special. That way, no one will feel left out or jealous that one of their siblings is the favorite.
It's not the easiest thing to do, but it will do your children a world of good if they feel and know that they are your favorite child (even if they're actually all of your favorite kids!)
Source: news.com.au
READ: Are You The Oldest Child? Chances Are You Are The Smartest As Well.