As a father, I thought I would have dealt with a certain issue by now.

It’s an issue I’ve seen occur in TV shows and movies. It’s even an issue I’ve heard other parents have had to deal with. Yet it’s never been brought up in our house.

What is it? The question of which child I love more.

You’ve seen it before. One child wants to know where they “stand” in the household relationship, so they come to the parents when the other child(ren) isn’t around.

“Which of us do you love the most?” he or she will ask.

And the parents give the correct, yet never-satisfying answer: “We love you both the same.”

I have a confession to make: I don’t love my children the same.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my children in equal measure. But I don’t love them the same. Each of my children is an individual, with distinct tendencies. I love Chloe and Cole in equal measure, yet I love them for different reasons. For instance:

I love Chloe because she’s the rule follower. I love Cole because he bends the rules as far as he can without actually breaking them.

I love Chloe because she keeps both feet firmly on the ground. I love Cole because he climbs on anything and everything.

I love Chloe because she will jump off the diving board if Daddy’s waiting in the water to catch her. I love Cole because he won’t even get on a diving board.

I love Chloe because she likes to read. I love Cole because he likes to build things.

I love Chloe because she likes to hold my hand. I love Cole because while he doesn’t let me hold his hand anymore, he will let me put my hand on his shoulder.

I love Chloe because she loves animals and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. I love Cole because he loves rocks.

I love Chloe because her sense of humor is a lot like mine. I love Cole because his sense of behavior is a lot like mine.

I love Chloe and Cole for different reasons, but the amount I love them is the same. I love them both with all my heart.

God may love me for different reasons than why he loves you, or vice versa. But the fact of the matter remains God loves both of us — he loves all of his children (1 John 3:1a).

The Rev. Parrish Myers is a local minister living in Braselton. He can be contacted at www.eyesofthefather.com. His column appears biweekly in Sunday Life and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.