Dear Keke and Kat: My Parents Favor My Sibling

The age old problem: your parents picking a favorite. As a middle child, I'm fully aware that this can happen and does happen in most, if not all families.

Dear Keke and Kat,

 

I'm a guy who loves basketball. I've been watching the NBA playoffs nonstop. We all saw Steph and Seth Curry face off the past few games while the Warriors swept the Blazers. And we all saw the Curry's parents showing love to both of them. Mom even wore a jersey with one team on the front, and the other team on the back.

 

Watching the brothers face off really stirred up some emotions in me. I realized something that has been bothering me. My parents have always favored my sister, and still do. They do everything for her. They paid for her college, but not my trade school loans. They've bought her several cars, but not a single one for me since I left high school. They helped her with a down payment on her house, even though her husband makes more money than I do. She's still on their cell phone plan! They side with her during every single argument and it's been like this since we were kids.

 

I don't resent my sister for this, but it's obvious that they love her more by how they treat her differently than they treat me. I want to say something to them about it, but would it be worth it?

I think especially when it comes to family stuff, you've got to voice your concerns. There's a way of going about it, though. Maybe write down all of your feelings and express how their actions make you feel, rather than attacking their actions in general. Letting it bottle up will only come out in an explosion later!