The answer? No, yes, and sometimes. There are times when a double standard in parenting is wise and times when it is damaging.  To know the difference, here are 3 categories to think about. First, you should not have a double standard when it comes to the birth order of your kids.  When we have our first child, we’re in control, fresh and ready to go.  But as we have more kids over time, we begin to loosen that control, get weary and, as a result, are sometimes much more lenient with other children.  Avoid creating a double standard by striving to keep the same parenting mindset for your younger kids that you had for your older kids.  Here are more of my thoughts on whether or not you should have a double standard in parenting.