Why "Who Do You Want Tonight?" Backfires

When your child prefers one parent, that stretch where they suddenly only want one of you — it's one of the most common and most misunderstood phases in early parenting. Most parents respond by accidentally gamifying it, and that's the exact thing that makes it worse.In this podcast, a licensed clinical psychologist breaks down why treating "who do you want tonight?" like a contest backfires, and what to say and do instead so both parents feel valued, and your child learns that love isn't something you win.Research on infant-parent attachment shows preference patterns are a normal, temporary part of development, but how parents respond to them determines whether the pattern fades or gets reinforced.In this video: → The bedtime habit that's accidentally training your child to pick favorites → Why cheering for the "winner" makes preference worse, not better → The Interchangeable Parent Rule, and the exact words to use tonight → What to do when your child protests the parent they didn't pick → How this connects to raising a child who thrives long-termGrab my free Better Behavior Guide 👉 https://www.drlindsayemmerson.com/better