Why Parents Should Stop Playing Favorites: 3 Dangerous Effects Of Favoritism Among Siblings

Although most parents love all of their children equally, many parents still fall into a trap of playing favorites. It is common to see parents giving more attention and gifts to one child more than their other kids. What many parents do not know is that there are some negative effects of favoritism among siblings.

Therefore, parents should be made aware of why they should stop playing favorites. Global Post shared some of the most common negative effects of favoritism among siblings.

People who perceive favoritism in the workplace are more likely to burn out. Read more: https://t.co/cPfviNqF9U pic.twitter.com/RPqKtaPv3a

— Scientific American (@sciam) March 29, 2016

1. Sibling Rivalry

"It's impossible not to have favorites, and we do know that the perception of favoritism is one of the biggest factors in sibling rivalry," Dr. Barbara Howard told The New York Times. Kids can be great observers, especially with how their parents treat them and their siblings. If a child senses that he is not the favorite, he might grow up with feelings of anger, jealousy and hatred towards his favored sibling.

2. Mistrust

One of the most common negative effects of favoritism among siblings is that kids will start to mistrust their parents. This is rooted in children's uncertainty if they will get a fair treatment from their parents or not every time an issue arises. Kids expect fairness from their parents and when they do not get it, they will place their trust elsewhere.

3. Damaged Self-Esteem

Kids who are less favored by their parents might experience feelings of worthlessness and depression. This is one of the most dangerous effects of favoritism among siblings because it might take a toll on children's self-esteem which might also affect the different aspects of their lives including their academic performance and socialization skills.