Quarter of British mums do have a favourite child, poll finds
Four in 10 Brits believe their mum has a favourite child - and 23 per cent of mothers admit it's true.
A poll of 2,000 adults revealed key ways to know if you're mum's number one - including always being the one she talks about, and making more effort for your birthday. Other signs include mums keeping more photos of the favourite on display (20 per cent) and using their birthday for passwords (15 per cent).
As a result, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of 25 to 34-year-olds surveyed admitted thinking their mum has a favourite child makes them more competitive with their siblings. And 32 per cent of respondents agree they'd buy the most thoughtful gift in an attempt to win points on Mother's Day.
To help squash sibling rivalry and secure the top spot as the 'favourite' in the family, Moonpig has created the 'Ultimate Favourite Child' bouquet. 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.
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"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. Meaning 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 carry favour with mum."
The card maker's research found roses (42 per cent) and tulips (32 per cent) are two of the top flowers that mums favour in their bunch of blooms. And more than one in 10 (13 per cent) kids admitted tactics such as buying flowers would be their preferred move to get one up on their sibling.
While 14 per cent would make the effort to visit more often, to ensure they were at the top of the billing for favourite child. The phenomenon of the 'mummy's boy' may also be true, with more men (24 per cent) claiming they are their mother's' favourite, while females didn't back themselves quite as much (17 per cent).
Meanwhile exactly one in five women agreed the favourite child tends to change, with a lower number of males (15 per cent) agreeing this is the case. 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 similarities in 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:
- She talks more about her favourite
- She acts favourably towards her favourite (i.e. wants to sit next to them at the dinner table / cooks their favourite dinner)
- She makes more effort on her favourite child's birthday
- She has more photos of her favourite child
- She uses her favourite child's name or birthday as her password
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