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Perceptions and more

I have three beautiful children, two girls and a boy.
I love them all equally and have never worried that I might be playing favourites.
They are similar and different at the same time and their unique personalities add so much to our family.

Today my son said that since all parents have favourites, he wanted to know which of the three of them I preferred. And, the truth is that, I prefer all of them equally. I know it is widely assumed that parents have favourites. Perhaps some parents do; my own mother probably did or at least I thought she did, which makes me wonder if I've done or said anything to make my son think that I have a favourite child? Of course, he could have been pushing my buttons just to get a reaction from me. Nevertheless, he argued that we have favourite family members outside our immediate family, so by extrapolation the same can be said of a special preference for one of my children. I can't imagine having a favourite child and treating any of them differently as a result. 

Still, this conversation has stayed with me otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it now.
I will be observing my comments and actions more carefully.

I always felt that my mother preferred my brother to me; I'm not who she wants me to be and I never will be that person. Does my son perceive that I don't approve of him? 

What about my students? Do I show a preference for any of them? What words and actions could be interpreted as such??

Some tentative thoughts that I will need to pursue further. 



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