Almost 20 percent of the 1,000 parents quizzed said that
they love one of their children more than the others.

Far from being a social myth, there really are mummy’s boys and girls out there who get preferential treatment from their mother ahead of their other siblings. One in six mothers admitted that they favored one or another of their children in the survey by parenting website Netmums.

Almost 20 percent of the 1,000 parents quizzed said that they love one of their children more than the others.

A third said they loved all their children equally and half said they loved their children equally but in different ways.

Christine Duff, a member of the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy and a Netmums online parent supporter, said that many women find it hardest to bond with their eldest child, a feeling which could stem from the difficulty of being a first-time mother.

“Sadly I hear this all the time. It is something which causes women intense shame and guilt,” she said.

“Mothers need to know that it is not uncommon to struggle to bond with one or more children and that it can be worked on.”

There can be negative impacts to having a favorite child, however, which can lead to undesirable personality traits in later life for both the child itself and other siblings.

Dr Martina Klett-Davies, a sociologist specializing in families and sibling relationships at the London School of Economics (LSE), said: “If there is a favorite child, they probably become too spoiled and find it difficult in later life.

“But the imbalance could prepare siblings for unfairness in later life when you leave the family circle by teaching them to be fighters.”

 Via China Daily