by Sharon Copeland

Created on: August 30, 2010

Before I had children I heard my friends talking about how their kids asked who the favorite was.  When my own kids came to the age of wondering about this it brought back a lot of my own childhood memories.  I was the youngest child in the family, so I would brag endlessly about being the favorite because I was the "baby" of the family.  I didn't need to ask my parents who the favorite was, I just knew it had to be me. I am sure my sister wanted to paste me for being so annoying.  I am just as sure my parents wanted to stick a stamp on my little behind and ship me to a foreign country for being so cocky.

Now that I am the parent, I feel like I have the answer to this universal question.  As a parent I don't favor one child over the other. I love both of my children with all of my heart.  There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them.  I do, however, favor certain activities with one or the other.  I love reading and playing board games with my daughter.  She inherited a love of board games, like her mom, so this is something we can bond over.  She is my favorite game partner.  My son could care less about games, so it isn't something I like to share with him.

My son likes to watch funny videos and take long walks.  He is my favorite walking partner.  We can talk about school or life and it is always entertaining with him.  He is Jerry Seinfeld in the making, there is always a laugh to be found with him around.  My daughter gets bored or tired of walking and so it isn't such a fun activity with her.

I have learned so much from both of my children.  I have learned they are both my favorite people in the whole world.  There is something "favorite" about each of them.  They still ask me who the favorite is.  I try to explain it to them, and tell them there is no favorite.  They laugh and say that isn't true. I must have a favorite they say. I suppose this is something they won't understand until they are parents themselves.  Once they are, the secret to this ever burning question will finally be answered for them.

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