Families love to claim they don’t play favorites. «We love all our children equally,» they’ll say, while serving one kid a five-course meal of validation and tossing the other some emotional scraps. 

It’s like a game show where one contestant always wins the grand prize while the other gets a consolation pat on the back. For kids on the losing end of this affection lottery, life becomes an endless stream of watching their siblings’ mediocre achievements celebrated like Nobel Prize victories, while their own successes barely get a «nice one son.»

The overlooked child becomes an unwitting master of interpretive theater, perfecting their «wow, that’s amazing» face while their golden sibling gets praised for revolutionary achievements like remembering to brush their teeth or successfully operating a microwave. They develop a professional-grade eye roll while nodding along to tales of their sibling’s heroic feats, such as showing up to work fully dressed or successfully adulting by paying bills close to on time. 

You know, achievements that deserve standing ovations and monetary rewards when performed by the family favorite.