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Family dynamics

22nd May 2022

Survey says parents favour the youngest child but grandparents prefer the eldest

Melissa Carton

Eldest children don’t despair you haven’t been forgotten about.

Over the years, studies have concluded that parents often have a favourite child, and for many, it’s the youngest.

As the eldest child in my family, I have to admit I was a bit ‘ah here’, but apparently it’s all good because nanny and grand-dad like me better and there are stats to back it up.

 

According to a survey carried out by parenting forum Mumsnet, almost a quarter of parents confessed that they have a favourite child (even though 55% admitted to feeling awful about it)

Out of the parents who said that they were more partial to one child, a whopping 56 per cent said that it was their youngest, with the most common reason given that the smallest in the brood reminded them of themselves.

For any eldest children feeling a bit left out in the cold, don’t worry because out of the grandparents surveyed 42 per cent admitted that they too had a favourite amongst their grandchildren but their opinion was very different.

39 per cent of grandparents surveyed said that it was in fact the eldest that they preferred saying that they reminded them of their own son or daughter when they were younger.introducing new sibling

If you’re the middle child and wondering where do you place, well there were no clear results in this survey but other studies have found that you’re the rock of the family.

Do you think these results are accurate?