Post by pantsparty on Jul 28, 2014 17:31:29 GMT -5
I grew up with 4 brothers. I have enjoyed being a part of a large family, but I have also experienced a lot of pain and stress as well. One of my brothers passed 5 years ago, and my youngest brother is an addict. There just aren't any guarantees with siblings, or family, really.
I have an older & younger brother. We are all best friends. Drop anything to see one and other. I would be seriously lost without them (& their wives).
There just aren't any guarantees with siblings, or family, really.
So so true. Both of my parents have strained relationships with their siblings. My dad's two brothers are alcoholics (and don't seem to have any intention on changing that) and my moms brother was a cocaine addict for years, and while he has been clean for 24 years, their relationship never really recovered. They are friendly and love each other, but that's about it. Seeing their relationships just makes me so thankful that my sister and I have the relationship we do.
I have two sisters, who growing up with, even with the ups and downs of being so close in age and sharing rooms etc. I thought would be big parts of my life. Unfortunately, they aren't..neither is good at keeping in touch and it kind of sucks because in the past year, I really could've used some sibling support Oh well, though, I loved having sisters growing up and so glad that my girls will hopefully enjoy that too.
My brother is a racist, misogynistic, fundamentalist Christian troglodyte. The only reason we still communicate at all is because he happened to donate half of the DNA to my amazing niece and she's not yet 18. Three more years!
Post by sapphireblue on Jul 28, 2014 18:21:36 GMT -5
I have a brother who is less than a year younger than me. We NEVER got along. There was a lot of bickering and more serious fighting. However, there were also plenty of times that we would play a board game together, or go outside and play catch.
Now that we are adults, we have no relationship to speak of. I see him at family gatherings and we go through the motions of hugging hello, etc. but there is nothing there.
I have a sister who is two years younger than me and as adults we are best friends. As kids and teens, not so much, but since we were college age we've really come to depend on each other. I love her so much. I feel sorry for my niece because she's an only and I feel bad that she'll never have what my sis and I have.
I have three siblings, but I'm not close with any of them. My sister and I get along on a surface level but she still lives w my parents and is becoming just like my mom, which makes me so sad. Two younger brothers and I don't see/talk to them more than 1-2 times per year. Both have done and said some pretty horrible things over the last several years, so while I will always love them, it's just better to limit contact. Bums me out to think that I have three siblings and two living parents but I'm not close to any of them. But one thing I've learned is that I can't change other people, I can only change how I react and how much ability I give them to hurt me.
That said, I have some awesome friends who are like family to me. I think I value them that much more since I don't have close family. H and I are traveling to see a few of them for Thanksgiving and I am so excited!
I have an older brother and a younger brother. Both are amazing people who live within miles from me. We hang out with them and their wives on the regular. My SILs are awesome as well.
Post by marshmallowmars on Jul 28, 2014 20:15:59 GMT -5
I have two older brothers. We get along fine. I was closest with my one brother when we were both in HS at the same time. Now I'm probably closer to my SILs than my brothers. I grew up next door to a girl that was my age and we are still BFFs and I consider her like a sister. So if you are one and done just keep in mind that a good close friend often feels just like a sibling (or better). I also think of her parents like my second family.
Jury's still out. I have a brother just 18 months older than me but we haven't laid eyes on each other in 10+ years. I recently found out on FB that he's married (by accident. We aren't even FB friends). I don't think he knows he has a nephew, even.
Then I have a half sister who is 12 years younger than me. She's awesome but out life stages are just too different to guess how we will get along as adults.
I have a younger brother and we are 10 years apart. I love him but we have never been close. I wish we had some sort of relationship but we are the exact opposite. I even had him come out to visit me a couple of years ago and there were times I forgot he was even there because he never talked, never really iniated any type of conversation with me. I have tried to develop a relationship with him but it seems like he really wants nothing to do with me. I never even got a call from him when I got married or had my daughter.
I have an older brother and have a very surfacey relationship with him. I don't wish I was an only, but I have had to accept that I won't be close with my brother. Bums me out.
This is me too, an it makes me very sad. My brother is a good guy, but there's just always been a wall and awkwardness there that never came down. Now that he lives across the country, we don't even really talk much unless we have big news to share.
It has definitely impacted our decision to strongly consider being one and done. My H is very happy as an only, and since I'm not close with my brother I don't feel like I need to "give my child a sibling". I hope he doesn't resent us for it later :/
Post by stephm0188 on Jul 28, 2014 21:13:49 GMT -5
Yeah I'm making this a SS. I don't mind having had siblings growing up, but we're not at all close. I don't wish I was an only child, but it's not like I can say having siblings was the best ever.
I am one of four, with an older brother and two younger sisters. I love all of them and feel incredibly lucky to have them in my life. They're the reason I have always wanted four kids of my own, but three kids might be all I can actually handle. lol.
Post by orangeblossom on Jul 28, 2014 22:00:31 GMT -5
I have much older sisters. I love having sisters.
We're close, but in different ways. I talk/text/email with my oldest sister several times a week. Mostly her initiations. Sometimes we call her " the stalker", and the other we talk I'm the phone about once per week and may send a "hope you're having a good week" text mid-week.
Technology has improved my relationship with my middle sister. We can keep in touch, but don't have to always talk on the phone,
Post by donnamartingraduat on Jul 28, 2014 22:02:25 GMT -5
I voted sibling and happy about it. I don't wish that I didn't have a sibling, but I'm sure I would have been just fine as an only. I love my sister, but we aren't BFFs.
I have one brother, 9 years older. We've gone through close stages and distant stages, but since he married my SIL he's become a douche so whatever, we hardly see them anymore at this point. They live 20 minutes away and we haven't seen them since January. So many opinions on how bad my parenting is, how poorly my parents raised us, to which I have to say wtf? I mean my DH and I are breezy compared to Mr Stick up his ass, but my parents were normal, education encouraging, discipline enforcing parents. I could go on and on but I'll spare you guys. I still said I'm happy to have a sibling but right now he annoys the fuck out of me.