Top signs you are the favourite child - like your mum talking about you the most

08 March 2024 , 16:42

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Nearly one in four mums admit they really do have a favourite child (Image: Monkey Business Images/Getty Images)

Some of the top signs that you could be your mum's favourite child include her talking about you more than her other offspring – and always making extra effort on your birthday, a study has found.

Nearly one in four mothers (23%) admit they really do have a favourite among their kids – with a fifth of these having more photos on display of one of their children over the others, and 15% using their favourite child's birthday as a password.

And not only do mums admit to this, but a survey of 2,000 adults found that as many as four in 10 children suspect this is the case.

And as such, 23% of 25-34-year-olds claim they have become more competitive with their siblings – due to believing their mum plays favourites.

Some of the top ways they will try to “win points” over their brothers and sisters include visiting their mum more (14%), and buying her flowers (13%).

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And with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, one in three of this younger generation (32%) will try to buy the most thoughtful gift, in an effort to gain favour with their mums.

To help squash sibling rivalry, and secure the top spot as the “favourite” in the family, Moonpig has created the “Ultimate Favourite Child” bouquet.

As a result, almost a quarter admit they are competitive with their siblings, to take the top spot as mum's favourite (Jamie Grill/Getty Images)

Psychologist and relationship expert, Jo Hemmings, analysed the bouquet, uncovering the science behind its mum-pleasing power.

She said: “Classic flower favourites, like roses and tulips, are best known for symbolising love – while others like Lisianthus, Eucalyptus, and Asparagus Ferns represent gratitude, admiration, and protection.

“Most importantly of all, flowers positively stimulate three of our most powerful senses – smell, touch, and sight – which, when combined, bring us endless amounts of joy.

“Scent, in particular, plays a very important role in your bouquet – as, just like perfumes, certain flowers can evoke memories and stimulate dopamine, our reward hormone.

“This means that perhaps some of the fragrances in the Ultimate Favourite Child bouquet could bring back happy memories from times gone by, which will in turn go a long way in helping you curry favour with mum.”

The card maker’s research found that roses (42%) and tulips (32%) are two of the top flowers that mums favour in their bunch of blooms.

Ahead of Mother's Day, mums have said that tulips and roses are their favourite flowers to receive in a bouquet (Elena Popova/Getty Images)

And the phenomenon of the “mummy’s boy” may also be true – with more men (24%) claiming they are their mother’s favourite, while females didn’t back themselves quite as much (17%).

But exactly a fifth of women agreed the favourite child tends to change, with a lower number of males (15%) agreeing this is the case.

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Jo Hemmings added: “It’s natural for there to be competition amongst siblings. It’s almost a rite of passage for every child with an older or younger brother or sister, as many children don’t want to think they are not the favourite – and Mother’s Day tends to bring these emotions into the spotlight.

“Often a mum's favourite will be a child with a similar personality to their own – sometimes even the child who most reminds them of their younger self.

“However, those mums who admit to having a favourite recognise that their love for each of their children is not compromised – it’s just that they can like one more than the others at certain times in their lives.

“Of course, siblings, who often jostle for pole position in their mum’s eyes, are going to do their best to come up top on this day in particular.”

THE TOP FIVE SIGNS MUM HAS A FAVOURITE CHILD:

1. She talks more about her favourite
2. She acts favourably towards her favourite (i.e. wants to sit next to them at the dinner table/cooks their favourite dinner)
3. She makes more effort on her favourite child's birthday
4. She has more photos of her favourite child
5. She uses her favourite child's name or birthday as a password

Andrew Young