Favoritism is most parents’ pastime in some families and it has never worked out much good for both them and the unfortunate favoured children caught up in the middle of the entire brickbat that walks underneath the bridge of such families. Resentment from unfavoured children against their uncaring parents and the favoured sibling, anger, envy and exposure to all kinds of deceit against the pampered/favoured sibling by their unfortunate siblings becomes the order of the day. The unfortunate siblings are ever ready to throw their favoured sibling under the bus given the opportunity.

Nothing is new in life. Look at where favoritism brought Joseph one can say, but who can say what he went through to get to where he ended up in life? Most pampered children lack the prerequisite teachings and experiences that prepare them for a life of hardship when the parents who squandered love on them are out of sight or no more. The heat in the kitchen of life would definitely become hot and unbearable for them.

Parents who practice favoritism are usually manipulative and their unfavoured children get to learn such character attribute from them. For the benefit of this article, let me share this scenario with you. A story is told of a pampered boy by his mother who wouldn’t want anybody to help her train her youngest son by either using cane on him or verbally cautioning him whenever he went off-rail. This continued until the young man ended up with a bad gang who exposed him to armed robbery. When he got caught and tied to the stake so as to face a firing squad, he asked for his last wish. He wished that his mother be brought to him so that he could whisper his real last wish to her. This poor aghast mother did come to him in tears and was asked to bring her ear closer to him, which she did. Without warning, he bit off her left ear and she wailed in pains. The then favoured child said to the world that he bit off his mother’s ear because she is the one who turned him into an armed robber when she wouldn’t want anyone to caution him over any bad deed.

On the other hand, favoritism for any reason shatters the peace of the family as the favoured child is seen by other as a leper. They loathe him/her and this invariably exposes the favoured child to all kinds of headiness outside the home. It is such children that would end up bringing the might of their parents status in the society to bear on their teachers when they get flogged – something that is seen as anathema at home – and such a child ends up facing public outcry that injures him/her for the rest of their lives.

Favoritism doesn’t favour anyone but exposes the stupidity in our parenting skills. God has equal love for us all. Let’s make Him our standard when it comes to child upbringing by spreading the love and not playing the favoritism card.