Favoritism often comes at a price.

Treating everybody fairly can be a struggle for parents with multiple children, even as they grow up and start to spend less time comparing how many presents they each have under the Christmas tree. Even in adulthood, it can seem like equal treatment is a dream that is never going to be realized.

Also, there are plenty of moms and dads who have no qualms about treating their kids differently in terms of the behavior and benefits that they receive from them. In certain ways, this can become more pointed in adulthood, where the stakes are higher and the gifts tend to be pricier. The problem with openly favoring one child over another as they get older is that the one who feels like they have not been given as much attention has the ability to push away a parent in a way that they couldn’t when they were young.