Unequal treatment of kids may not be harmful.

• Position: Families - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Many parents try hard to treat their children fairly and equally. Yet, due to the fact that each youngster has different needs, it is not always possible or practical to treat them the same. However, Amanda Kowal, assistant professor of human development and family studies, University of Missouri-Columbia, says unequal treatment of children might not be as harmful as some books suggest. She found that children generally do see their parents as doing a good job of treating them equally, and when differential treatment does occur, kids usually perceive it as being fair. In fact, the children surveyed in Kowal's study, ages 11 to 15, thought it was fair 75% of the time when parents treated them differently from their siblings.

"What's...