History Main / GrandparentFavoritism

** Suga Mama frequently mocks and insults her son Oscar but is a DotingGrandparent to Penny. However, she also gets along with her daughter-in-law; she's really only rude to her son (and vice versa).

* Even while being a prime example of TheStoic, many have commented that Queen Elizabeth II was more likely to be seen in public while ''smiling'' whenever she was around her grandchildren and their families than her own children. (Some joked that the reason she had lived for so long and in such great health is so she would outlive her eldest son Charles so that her grandson William would be next to inherit the throne). This turned out not to be, as she ended up dying in 2022 at 96 after a long illness, and Charles took over the throne as Charles III.

* ''Film/TheArtOfRacingInTheRain'': When Denny's wife Eve develops terminal brain cancer, she, Denny, Zoey, and Enzo come to stay with her parents (who love their daughter dearly but aren't happy that she married a race car driver). They shower Zoey with gifts and love, which Enzo implies is a coping mechanism so they don't have to acknowledge that their only daughter is dying. [[spoiler:Not two days after Eve's funeral, they try to take custody of Zoey away from Denny, and use his bad reaction to their plans as ammo in a court case.]]

* In the ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' episode "Denial", a mother and daughter are both arrested for a different daughter's death, and their mother/grandmother Rose consistently goes to bat for her adult granddaughter Claire (a drug addict) while showing virtually no concern for Claire's mother/her daughter Grace. [[spoiler:It turns out that the grandmother has a reason; Claire may be a drug addict, but Grace is a sociopath who had previously killed another child to stop him from crying, so the grandmother preferred Claire because Claire was a decent human being with a conscience, and also went to bat for Claire over Grace because she knew that Grace was probably guilty, since [[WouldHurtAChild she'd already proven she was capable of it]].]]

On one hand, the offending grandparent may have done this because their time is winding down, they see their child less and less due to work and other responsibilities and [[IWantGrandkids they've always wanted grandchildren to fill in the void or to spend time with and spoil rotten.]] They may not even be ''[[InnocentlyInsensitive intentional]]'' in their slight (or the adult children [[EntitledBastard may be just immature and going overboard with their resentment.]])

On the other hand, it could be the elder generation had or continues to have an unpleasant relationship with the child due to [[AbusiveParent abuse]], [[ParentalAbandonment neglect]] or [[ParentsAsPeople some other situation where they weren't exactly there for them.]] The closer relationship with their offspring's offspring could be out of spite, where they see someone better in the grandchild, see it as their second chance (though this ''can'' be played sympathetically) or do it [[{{Jerkass}} just to get one over on their child]].

Obviously TruthInTelevision. Compare ParentalFavoritism, which refers to when parents give one child preferential treatment, which may include a grandparent giving one grandchild preferential treatment; that trope may overlap with this one, if the grandchild receives preferential treatment over the grandparent's own children as well. Compare and Contrast DotingGrandparent. See also IWantGrandkids, RaisedByGrandparents, WhyAreYouNotMySon, TheUnfavorite and ObnoxiousInLaws.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Grandma Heyday much prefers her three orphaned granddaughters to her living son Joel, and even cuts Joel out of her will entirely. In retaliation he plots to kill her and his nieces and the Heyday women are only saved by Wonder Woman's timely intervention.

* ''Film/TheWolverine'': Ichiro Yashida favored his granddaughter Mariko more than his son, Shingen [[spoiler:(resulting in him leaving Mariko everything in his will)]]. This drove Shingen to be deeply resentful of his daughter, to the point of [[spoiler:trying to have her assassinated]].

* Seen plenty of times on ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' with Blanche and Sophia. The latter usually snarks at Dorothy and talks about what a screw up [[TheGhost Phil]] is, but she is always excited to see her grandchildren and even gave money she took from Dorothy to give to her children. The former's HandsOffParenting and other selfish tendencies have put a strain on the relationship between her and her children, particularly her eldest daughter Janet, but she loves her grandchildren dearly and their love for her is mutual.

* This is one of [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Grandpa Simpson's]] defining characteristics. He and Homer usually don't get along (although in all fairness, Abe was pretty cold to Homer growing up, especially after his loving mother, Mona, went on the lam); but he adores his grandchildren, especially his firstborn and only grandson Bart. He's also much more civil to his daughter-in-law Marge than he is to his own son.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Cotton Hill considers his son Hank a disappointment, and does not hesitate to say so to his face. He's far more loving towards his grandson Bobby, and on one episode states that he'd [[TakingTheBullet take a bullet]] for him. Interestingly, Cotton has a baby son with his much younger wife whom he dotes on; he calls him "Good Hank".

** Suga Mama frequently mocks and insults her son Oscar, but is a DotingGrandparent to Penny. However, she also gets along with her daughter-in-law; she's really only rude to her son.
** In ''[[WesternAnimation/TheProudFamilyLouderAndProuder Louder and Prouder]]'', the tables are turned as we're introduced to her father, Pa Towne. He's a StrawMisogynist who looks down on her for being a girl, but is instantly impressed when Oscar's PapaWolf instincts kicked and showed genuine skill in being a cowboy. He welcomes his grandson while telling Suga Mama she "[[StealthInsult did one thing right]]", which was having Oscar as a son. The two hit it off and start to bond.
* This is one of the character traits of Lou Pickles from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. His two sons, Drew and Stu tend to get on his nerves whenever [[SiblingRivalry they argue]] and/or whenever Stu's inventions malfunction. However, Lou has a soft spot for his granddaughter, Angelica, and his two grandsons, Tommy and Dil, and will often tell them stories from his youth.

* Downplayed with Estelle Winslow of ''Series/FamilyMatters''. While she does love and respect her son Carl, she is also quick to scold him when he goofs up royally (evidenced by her CatchPhrase "Way to go, Carl!") She also acts as a respected mentor and mediator whenever he has an issue or disagreement with one of the children, particularly Eddie or Steve (who has a deep shared respect for her as if she were his own grandmother).

->'''Seymour:''' Mother, didn't this frame used to have a picture of the two of us in it?

[[folder: Film]]
* Beverly Donofrio from ''Film/RidingInCarsWithBoys'' gets hit with a double whammy. Not only are her strict parents [[ParentalFavoritism more affectionate (by comparison, anyway) to her kid sister, Janet]], but the two of them adore and dote on their grandson, Jason, more than they ever did (or will) her.
* ''Film/TheWolverine'': Ichiro Yashida favored his granddaughter Mariko more than his son, Shingen [[spoiler:(resulting in him leaving Mariko everything in his will)]]. This drove Shingen to be deeply resentful of his daughter, to the point of [[spoiler:trying to have her assassinated]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'''s Rick Sanchez plays this straight and inverts it in different ways. On the one hand, he goes on wacky, zany sci-fi adventures with his grandchildren, Morty and Summer, ''far'' more often than he does with his daughter Beth, and thus by extension, he also spends far more time with them. In fact, Rick has probably even been on more adventures with his disliked son-in-law Jerry than he has with Beth. However, part of this is likely because she's busy with work on an average day. It's inverted in that, while Rick is a toxic {{Jerkass}} to his grandkids, Jerry, and most other people, Beth is a MoralityPet for him, and he ''far'' nicer to her than he is to anyone else.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16670314110.24168500 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

Obviously TruthInTelevision. A SubTrope of ParentalFavoritism, though it's not unheard of for the two to overlap. Compare and Contrast DotingGrandparent. See also IWantGrandkids, RaisedByGrandparents, WhyAreYouNotMySon, TheUnfavorite and ObnoxiousInLaws.

* Even while being a prime example of TheStoic, many have commented that Queen Elizabeth II was more likely to be seen in public while ''smiling'' whenever she was around her grandchildren and their families than her own children. (Some joked that the reason she had lived for so long and in such great health is so she would outlive her eldest son Charles so that her grandson William would be next to inherit the throne. That turned out to be false, as she ended up [[TheWorfEffect dying at age 96 after a long illness]], and Charles took over the throne as Charles III.)

* Even while being a prime example of TheStoic, many have commented that Queen Elizabeth II was more likely to be seen in public while ''smiling'' whenever she wass around her grandchildren and their families than her own children. (Some joked that the reason she had lived for so long and in such great health is so she would outlive her eldest son Charles so that her grandson William would be next to inherit the throne. That turned out to be false, as she ended up [[TheWorfEffect dying at age 96 after a long illness]], and Charles took over the throne as Charles III.)

* Even while being a prime example of TheStoic, many have commented that Queen Elizabeth is more likely to be seen in public while ''smiling'' whenever she's around her grandchildren and their families than her own children. (There's even a joke that the the reason she's lived for so long and in such great health is so she'll outlive her eldest son Charles so that her grandson William would be next to inherit the throne.)

** In ''[[WesternAnimation/TheProudFamilyLouderAndProuder Louder and Prouder]]'', the tables are turned as we're introduced to her father, Pa Towne. He's a StrawMisogynist who looks down on her for being a girl, but is instantly impressed when Oscar's PapaWolf instincts kicked and showed genuine skill in being a cowboy. He welcomes his grandson while telling Suga Mama she "[[StealthInsult did one thing right]]", which was having Oscar as a son.