Favoritism

How it affects the child

When a child feels that their parents shows preference for one of the sibling over the other one, the child is sown with a feeling that he is rejected and unloved by his parents, which will result in jealousy and resentment towards his parents that the child will never forget and that he will carry inside with him until adulthood.

Consequences as an adult

Sometimes we wonder why there are dysfunctional families, why there are siblings and parents who fight so much, that they seem to hate each other and that when they are adults they move away not only from their siblings but from their own parents.

We want parents to understand that they should treat their children equally, that each child is unique, that they should not be compared. Here are some examples of what you should never say to your child:

• “Your sibling is better than you.”
• “Your sibling is my pride.”
• “You are my favorite child”
• “You have to be like your sibling.”
• “Your sibling is smarter than you.”
• “Your sibling gets better grades in school than you.”
• “Your sibling behaves better than you.”
• “Your sibling is prettier than you.”
• “Why can’t you be like your sibling?”

We want parents to understand the disastrous consequences of emotional damage caused by favoritism towards one child. This emotional damage can break a child’s self-esteem to pieces, leaving them feeling depressed, insecure, stressed, angry, and other negative feelings that can affect their mental health and persist into adulthood. When a child feels that their parents show favoritism for one sibling over the other, the child grows up with a feeling that they are rejected and unloved by their parents. This will result in jealousy and resentment towards their parents and siblings.