by Sara McGinnis posted in Parenting

"I wonder which brother is better," run the lyrics of a song from The Avett Brothers. "Which one our parents love the most."
They continue: "I wondered what my dad would say. He said, 'I love you and I'm proud of you both in so many different ways.'"
Because that's what you say, right" It's exactly what I'd tell my two sons if they asked which of them we liked more. You don't admit to having a favorite child -- at least most of us never would. But to my surprise, it turns out nearly a quarter of parents will.

A survey by Mumsnet and Gransnet has revealed 23 percent of parents had a favorite child. Grandparents are even worse, with 42 percent of those surveyed admitting to having a favorite grandchild. Interestingly, the two groups tend to use different criteria to pick their favorite. Parents prefer the "easy" child, with 61 percent characterizing their favorite's siblings "tricky or demanding." For the grandparents, 58 percent reported their favorite made them laugh more than other children or grandchildren.
Age also plays a factor. Fifty-six percent of parents who admitted to having a favorite said they preferred their youngest child, while 39 percent of grandparents favored their eldest grandchild.
Fifty-five percent of parents surveyed felt it was "awful" to have a favorite compared to 50 percent of grandparents. And 13 percent of those parents who do have a favorite...