The Favorite
I know everyone says that parents don’t have favorites and they love their kids equally… but do kids have favorites?
Because ours do.
Lately E has been all about me. If he’s not literally attached to me, I have to be within arms distance, doing very specific things. I’m not allowed to sit in the wrong spot or touch the wrong toy. (Toddlers are super fun). And of course when it comes to who gets him dressed, changes his diaper, etc, it’s me.
Which means that baby G hangs out with Tom a lot by default. And as a result, Tom is totally his favorite. And it shows. If I try to hang out with him, he’s constantly looking for Tom, and he’ll light up and giggle when he sees Tom. I guess that happens when the same person always feeds you or changes your diaper or wakes you up from naps. Or he’s just funnier than me.
It’s weird, and I’m sure it’s a phase, but sometimes it feels wrong. We try to go with the flow, to let the kids tell us what we need, and not to take things personally when an obvious preference shows up. It does make the moments a little more sweet when you get some one on one time with the other one though.
And so you’ll catch me secretly snuggling the baby while E isn’t looking so I don’t get yelled at, and Tom soaking up all the cuddles when E picks him to read his bedtime story. We also do solo outings/time when possible. Take one of them along with us when we run errands, or spend extra time with them when the other one is napping.
I know it’s temporary, and I’m sure I’ll have another problem to deal with when this one goes away.