Family favoritism between sisters can be hurtful, especially when children are old enough to notice how differently they are being treated. Adults may think they are being subtle, but kids know.
Kids notice who gets praised more, who gets more thoughtful birthday gifts, and who receives just a low-effort gift card. That’s what happened here. The favoritism was so blatant that one family member felt the need to overcompensate by giving the overlooked teenager the attention everyone else had failed to give her.
Ellie is the golden child of the family. She is social and talented, and everyone in the family loves her. None of that is her fault, of course. She is just a teenager being herself. The problem is the adults’ behavior towards Ellie, which is very different from Ivy’s.
For Ellie’s birthday, family members gave her gifts based on her interests and her hobbies. That kind of gift that says, “I see you, I know what you like, I chose this for you”. And that’s a lovely gesture. We all appreciate it when we realize someone actually listens and is there for you. But then the difference was crystal clear when Ivy’s birthday came around. Everyone gave her only gift cards. It’s not that I’m against gift cards, but in this context, the difference was obvious. Ellie got effort, and Ivy got convenience. And Ivy noticed.
So that’s why this relative stepped in and took Ivy shopping. The thing is, even though he tried to do something nice, he’s adding to the problem of unequal treatment. And we don’t want to turn this into a competition between sisters. Anyway, if the family is worried about the sisters’ relationship, they should stop blaming the relative who tried to make Ivy feel better and start looking at their favoritism toward Ellie that made this gesture feel necessary in the first place.
Author: Kayitsi.com
