With a mischievous smile on my face, I texted my oldest daughter, "You are my favorite. Shhhhh. It's a secret." Oh, did I fail to divulge that I also sent the exact text to my other two daughters at the same time?
It has been a joke we've played for years. You're my favorite. But, even delving into the inner recesses of my soul, I cannot come up with a true favorite. Are they all different? Yes. Do I respect them for different reasons? Yes. Do I enjoy being around them for the uniqueness they bring to my life? YES!
But a favorite? Honestly, not in the heart of this momma. So, when I came across this article (pasted below) from Time Healthland, I had to read it. And respectfully disagree.
So thankful that the my Heavenly Father portrays in the Bible that He is not a respecter of one person over another. And we are to shroud ourselves with the mind of Christ, so.....
Romans 2:11 - "For there is no respect of persons with God."
Acts 10:34 - "So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.
James 2:1-13 is a longer account of mankind's propensity toward favoritism and how all that sets with God. It's worth a read.
What about you? Do you dare acknowledge you really do have favorites? Have you ever been the victim of favoritism (whether it was you as the favorite or not - it always causes problems, doesn't it?)
Playing Favorites: Why Mom Likes You (or One of Your Siblings) Best
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/22/favoritism-why-mom-likes-you-or-one-of-your-siblings-best/#ixzz1Yh8WcCSC
There aren't a lot of ironclad rules of family life, but here's one: No matter how much your parents deny it — and here's betting they deny it a lot — they have a favorite child. And if you're a parent, so do you.
The golden child may be the oldest one, unless it's the youngest. It may be the toughest one, unless it's the most sensitive. It's not even necessary that Mom and Dad have the same favorite — and typically they don't.
One oft-cited study showed that about 70% of fathers and 65% of mothers exhibit a preference for one child or another. For fathers, it's most often the youngest girl; for mothers, it's typically the oldest boy. And remember, the key here is the exhibited preference. Since parents do such a good job of concealing any bias — especially when a scientist is watching — the numbers are almost certainly a good deal higher.
If it's any consolation for Mom and Dad — to say nothing of the unfavored kids — favoritism is hardwired into our species. Since families, at their evolutionary essence, exist principally as a way to get as many genes as possible into the next generation, we're programmed to place our bets on the kids who stand the greatest chance of being reproductively successful.
Every parent defines the lucky child differently: for some the choice is based on beauty, for others brains, for others birth order. Once the selection is made, extra attention and other goodies are subtly steered that child's way, even if parents don't realize they're doing it. Of course humans, unlike other animals, bring a whole suite of other, gentler, considerations into play: love, loyalty, compassion, joy, and that can balance the scales some, though never entirely.
This week's TIME cover story explores the complexities of favoritism — how it came to be, how it's expressed, the harm it can do to both favored and unfavored kids, and what we can do about it. It's available to subscribers here.
