6 Ways to Cope Up When Your Child Prefers One Parent Over Another
There can be a phase in an infant’s life when he or she prefers one parent over the other. This is known to be a short-lived phase of childhood and there are measures you can use to cope up with it. Here are a few of them.
1. The favored parent should drop a few responsibilities gradually
Whether you are your child’s favored parent or your husband is, start dividing responsibilities gradually. If the favored parent continues to spend excessive amount of time with the child, his or her affection is likely to remain lopsided. Start off by gradually doling out responsibility to the ignored parent. For example, if your husband is the ignored parent, get him to accompany you while bathing or feeding your child. This will make it easier for the ignored parent to make his way into taking more responsibilities for the child.
2. Don’t pamper your child too much
Your husband or you may have become the preferred parent over one another because either you are giving your child too much attention. When one of the two parents pampers their child too much, the child tends to get attached to him or her. The child starts understating who amongst the either parent will fulfill his or her needs. Lay off unnecessary attention from your child so that he or she doesn’t ascribe more fondness and importance to one parent over another.
3. Be watchful of the words you use
Being careful of what you say in front of your child can make a huge difference in coping when he or she prefers one parent over the other. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because your child can’t understand language yet, he or she isn’t absorbing the essence of what is being said inside the house. For example, if your daughter has more affection for your husband than you, then constantly addressing her as daddy’s little girl will only make the problem worse.
