5 ways to know if your mother has a favorite child

LONDON — Four in 10 people believe their mother has a favorite child – and 23 percent of mothers admit it’s true! The poll of 2,000 adults in the United Kingdom is also revealing the key ways people can figure out if they’re mom’s number one – including always being the one she talks about and making more of an effort on their birthdays.

Other signs include mothers keeping more photos of the favorite child on display (20%) and using their favorite son or daughter’s birthday for passwords (15%). As a result, almost a quarter (23%) of 25 to 34-year-olds surveyed admit that thinking their mother has a favorite child makes them more competitive with their siblings.

According to the OnePoll research, commissioned by personalized gift company Moonpig, another 32 percent of respondents agree they’d buy the most thoughtful gift in an attempt to win points on Mother’s Day. To help squash a sibling rivalry and secure the top spot as the favorite in the family, Moonpig has created the “Ultimate Favorite Child” bouquet. Psychologist and relationship expert Jo Hemmings analyzed the bouquet, uncovering the science behind its mom-pleasing power.

“Classic flower favorites like roses and tulips are best known for symbolizing love, while others like Lisianthus, Eucalyptus and Asparagus Ferns represent gratitude, admiration, and protection,” Hemmings says in a statement.

“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,” Hemmings explains.

“Meaning that perhaps some of the fragrances in the Ultimate Favorite Child bouquet could bring back happy memories from times gone by which will in turn go a long way in helping you carry favor with mom.”

The card maker’s research also found roses (42%) and tulips (32%) are two of the top flowers that moms favor in their bunch of blooms. More than one in 10 (13%) kids admit that buying flowers is their preferred move to get one up on their sibling. Meanwhile, 14 percent would make the effort to visit more often, to ensure they were at the top of the billing for favorite child.

The phenomenon of the “momma’s boy” may also be true, with more men (24%) claiming they are their mother’s’ favorite, while daughters didn’t back themselves quite as much (17%). Exactly one in five women agreed the favorite child in their family tends to change, with a lower number of men (15%) agreeing this is the case.

“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 favorite, and Mother’s Day tends to bring these emotions into the spotlight,” Hemmings adds.

“Often a mom’s favorite will be a child with similarities in personality to their own – sometimes even the child who most reminds them of their younger self. However, those moms who admit to having a favorite recognize 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 mom’s eyes are going to do their best to come up top on this day in particular.”

5 ways to know if your mother has a favorite child:

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