Jeb Bush: ‘I Love My Mother More Than My Dad’
Bush clan members aren’t fans of having their family dynamics psychoanalyzed — what the political family calls “put on the couch,” like a therapy session, according to a recent New York Times article. But while speaking at a town hall–style event on Thursday in Londonderry, N.H., the 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush got people talking when, without being asked, he revealed that he loves his mother, Barbara, the most.
“I get asked all the time: ‘Well, are you like your brother? Are you like your dad?’” he said. “I know there’s a real fascination about this. Let’s just — let me get this out of the way: I love my mother more than my dad.”
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He added: “I’m blessed, that’s all I have to tell you. I’m blessed to be George and Barbara’s son, and I’m blessed to be George W.’s brother.”
It’s common for children to have a favorite parent, notes Laura Markham, a child psychologist and author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life. “Research shows that babies develop a hierarchy of attachments, meaning that when they are hurt, they turn first to the caregiver they feel will be most nurturing,” Markham tells Yahoo Parenting. “This is often the parent who spends the most time with the child, but not always.”
That said, Markham points out this doesn’t mean the nurturing parent is automatically the favorite. “It means that they have developed a relationship of great trust with this parent so when they feel hurt or upset, they know they can count on this parent for reassurance,” she says. “They may see the other parent as having other traits they like, such as ‘Dad lets me have more screen time when Mom is not around to say no, but Mom is more nurturing when I hurt myself.’”
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A child’s favorite parent can also change, depending on his developmental stage. “All relationships change over time,” says Markham. “A toddler is often closer to his mother but will begin seeking out Dad more as he gets a little older and identifies more with his father. As a teen, he might find that his mother is a better listener and confide in her more. As a young adult, he may reach out to his dad for advice about things that he would not feel as comfortable asking his mother.”
Markham says there’s no harm in having a favorite parent. “Although, if a parent feels that the child always turns to the other parent, then I would advise that parent to begin cultivating a more nurturing attitude, and to connect more deeply, with the child,” she says. “Otherwise, the parent may feel hurt and may pull away from the child, and it can erode the relationship long-term.”
Photos: AP Images
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