Earlier this week, in a controversial Babble post called "Mom confession: I think I love my son a little bit more," Kate Tietje admitted to having a favorite child, and ignited an internet controversy. "I find it easier to gravitate towards my son," Tietje writes. "There are moments — in my Sophie's Choice type musings — when I wonder which child it would really be worse to lose." Many commenters have praised Tietje's candor, but others have called the piece "disgusting" and "depressing." Does her revelation make her a bad parent?
It's better to be honest: It's laudable that Tietje has been frank about such a taboo issue, says Dave McGinn in The Globe and Mail. Psychologists have said that denying you have a favorite child is more damaging to family relationships that just owning up to it. And, "to her credit, Kate admits in her blog that favoring her son over her daughter is wrong."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.