It's hard to be 100 per cent fair as a parent, after all, they are only humans.
In a recent Instagram post by Singapore-based Taiwanese actress Kate Pang, she recounted watching a television show where a mother confessed to favouring her son over her daughter. The woman only realised it after her own mother died and left her assets to the son, while she and her sister didn't get anything — mirroring the favouritism she displayed to her own kids.
This led Kate, 38, to reflect on her own interactions with her kids and she openly admitted that she is guilty of favouritism, too. But, she said, it's not because of sexism. Kate is married to Singaporean actor Andie Chen, and the couple have two children — son Aden and daughter Avery.
She explained: "It's because Avery is very fierce when she cries, whereas Aden looks miserable when he cries. Nevertheless, I think I should watch my behaviour to avoid hurting my children."
What Parents Can Do To Avoid Favouritism In Families
You'll be surprised to know that favouritism is a subconsciously common concept in families. As much as parents deny that they have a favourite among their kids, there are still instances where they might prefer one over the other.
But studies have also shown that children can sense when they're being treated unfairly by their parents. To avoid such favouritism in families, here's what parents can do:
1. Be honest with yourself. The first step is to admit that you may be favouring one child more. Or maybe you treat the other child particularly harsher.
2. Change your behaviour towards all your kids. Once you realise that you've been favouring one child compared to the rest, it's time to undo your mistake and learn how you can treat all of them fairly.
3. Be aware of how you treat each of your kids. To avoid zeroing in on only one child that you might favour, make sure you give your full attention to each child equally.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source from Instagram / katepang311.
With reports from Felicia Chin.
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