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- Oct 8, 2010
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"I do not play favourites" says Dad criticised for naming favourite child on his blog
Dad at the centre of favourite child debate defends his words to Yahoo!
Father of two Buzz Bishop said his eldest son was his favourite child © BabbleA father of two who has sparked a major discussion about whether parents should openly name their favourite child has refuted claims he is a bad father.
Buzz Bishop, from Vancouver, Canada, initially wrote a personal blog last week entitled 'Admit It, You have A Favourite Child. I do' which included, amongst others, the controversial statement:
"If I were to be absolutely honest, my older son is my favourite of the two," which sparked an influx of comments slamming him for naming his favourite (and non favourite) son on his blog.
"You are a self-absorbed idiot who let his 'honesty' get in the way of the true responsibility of protecting one's child at all cost," wrote one user on Facebook.
"You have damaged both sons with your stupid comment," the user added.
Buzz then later updated his blog defending his controversial post.
"Yes, I have a favourite son and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm guessing you could look deep in the mirror and admit you have a favourite, too," he wrote.
Last year, it was suggested that 95 per cent of parents have a favourite child – and according to the controversial author who made the claim, the other 5 per cent are lying.
Buzz has now spoken exclusively to Yahoo! to explain his choice of words.
"Favorite is a strong word to some, perhaps that's where the outrage comes in," Bishop told Yahoo! in an interview.
"I do not play favourites, or create inequities in my children's lives. My default habit, however, is to reach for my older son's hand first when it comes to our family outings."
And Bishop has since realised that he may not have a favourite child at all, just a favourite phase in his children's lives.
"I don't 'do babies' very well, and so I would take time to get Zacharie [the older child] out of the house when Charlie [the younger child] was napping," he told Yahoo!
"I have just spent so much more time getting to know my older son that I lean his way when it comes to doing things."
"I'm looking forward to Charlie growing up and being able to get out and be active with me the ways Zacharie has."
And it sounds as though Buzz has a special bond with his eldest child as it's his first born.
"Zacharie will always be special. He's my first. I never thought I would have kids until my wife got pregnant very soon after we met," he said.
"He chose us to be his parents, and I am so grateful for the twist my life has taken. I will always hold that special. That said, when he's a petulant teen, and Charlie is a bubbly pre-teen, I'm sure I will ebb and flow with my 'favouritism'."
So has Buzz learnt anything from being thrust so suddenly into the spotlight?
"I have had to talk about myself and my situation so much these past few days that it has made me acutely aware of how I treat my boys. I am now very aware of showing any signs of bias and am working to balance the scales," he told Yahoo!
"Some good has come out of this," he added, "and I'm thankful for it."
Dad at the centre of favourite child debate defends his words to Yahoo!
Buzz Bishop, from Vancouver, Canada, initially wrote a personal blog last week entitled 'Admit It, You have A Favourite Child. I do' which included, amongst others, the controversial statement:
"If I were to be absolutely honest, my older son is my favourite of the two," which sparked an influx of comments slamming him for naming his favourite (and non favourite) son on his blog.
"You are a self-absorbed idiot who let his 'honesty' get in the way of the true responsibility of protecting one's child at all cost," wrote one user on Facebook.
"You have damaged both sons with your stupid comment," the user added.
Buzz then later updated his blog defending his controversial post.
"Yes, I have a favourite son and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm guessing you could look deep in the mirror and admit you have a favourite, too," he wrote.
Last year, it was suggested that 95 per cent of parents have a favourite child – and according to the controversial author who made the claim, the other 5 per cent are lying.
Buzz has now spoken exclusively to Yahoo! to explain his choice of words.
"Favorite is a strong word to some, perhaps that's where the outrage comes in," Bishop told Yahoo! in an interview.
"I do not play favourites, or create inequities in my children's lives. My default habit, however, is to reach for my older son's hand first when it comes to our family outings."
And Bishop has since realised that he may not have a favourite child at all, just a favourite phase in his children's lives.
"I don't 'do babies' very well, and so I would take time to get Zacharie [the older child] out of the house when Charlie [the younger child] was napping," he told Yahoo!
"I have just spent so much more time getting to know my older son that I lean his way when it comes to doing things."
"I'm looking forward to Charlie growing up and being able to get out and be active with me the ways Zacharie has."
And it sounds as though Buzz has a special bond with his eldest child as it's his first born.
"Zacharie will always be special. He's my first. I never thought I would have kids until my wife got pregnant very soon after we met," he said.
"He chose us to be his parents, and I am so grateful for the twist my life has taken. I will always hold that special. That said, when he's a petulant teen, and Charlie is a bubbly pre-teen, I'm sure I will ebb and flow with my 'favouritism'."
So has Buzz learnt anything from being thrust so suddenly into the spotlight?
"I have had to talk about myself and my situation so much these past few days that it has made me acutely aware of how I treat my boys. I am now very aware of showing any signs of bias and am working to balance the scales," he told Yahoo!
"Some good has come out of this," he added, "and I'm thankful for it."
