Why is it okay for one parent to choose one child over another and treat them differently?

Sometimes it's okay, and sometimes not.

When my younger son was 3, he ran into a standpipe, had a very bloody gash, and required a trip to the emergency room. He got more attention then.

When my older son was deployed in Afghanistan as a combat medic, I dropped everything when he called.

When my daughter delivered her first sermon, I rearranged my plans to attend.

And each child is treated differently according to their nature. There are activities each of my kids enjoy sharing with me that aren't to the tastes of the others.

There was a time where one of them was getting a disproportionate amount of my time, for sound reasons. I did my best to communicate to the others that my time expenditure should not be confused with amount of love. They seemed to understand.

But as I said at the start: sometimes this is appropriate and sometimes not. Each situation is different and needs to be evaluated on its merits.

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