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WHat DOES One do with siblings


templelady
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OKAY

I need help here

5 years ago I went looking for my birth mother

SHe was dead but I found a 2 half brothers from her marraige

I'm older than one by 11 years the other brother (who is 20 years younger) has dropped off the radar before I came in the picture.

I was illegitimate (before his folks were married)

We have a somewhat distant but good relationship I've met him and his wife and my nephew (Who is an absolute doll , I digress)

This summer up pops a half sister 18 months younger than me also illegitimate different father than the rest of us.

Brother wants nothing to do with new sister--because one illegitamate sister was bad two makes his relationship with our mother in his word "A total Lie" "nothing about my childhood was real"

" "she was no better than a protitute"

Sister, while not being pushy pushy wants me to be a go between.

I'm staying neutral-reassuring her that it isn't her-while upholding Brother in what ever decision he makes-and trying not to ruffle the already stormy seas.

Brother and I are not great phone callers or e mailers-- kind of self contained people

My sister is a whole other story--she wants constant communication

The reality is that of the three of us I am the only one raised an only child

HELLLLPPP

HOw does this sibling thing work

HOw often is contact required or needed

What does one do with battling sibs

I'm 54 no one prepared me for this

ONe sibling was okay -especially since tempermentally he is very similar

TWO have me in a quandry

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I hate to say this but there is no handbook on how to handle siblings.

My sister and I just call each other every once and a while. Well almost. I just found out yesterday that my neice got married again in June. She only gave my sis 2 days notice.

Now my spousal units family is a differant story. She has two brothers, a step brother, and a step aunt and uncle that are all younger than her. All raised pretty mnch as a family. Its just who is mad a whom and how long the fight will last. One brother is off drugs and normal again. The anut is a truck driver and back to being semi normal. The other brother is great when he takes his meds. The step bro is the best(except when hes drinking).

So if you can figure a system out that works for comunication you can make a billion bucks.

Ok I'll trade the wifes family for yours. Anybody come near mine and their in trouble.

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I can understand your brothers plight--It takes time to digest big changes, It may not be so much about your sister, but what he has to adjust to concerning his childhood , his mother etc.

I would hope that your sister could understand this, but ( and excuse me here if I am wrong ) she seems pretty needy if she needs "constant communication' after you two just recently met, Whats the rush? you two have been apart for what 50 years? Take your time

Families take time--lots and lots of time to come together,

I'd suggest ( What the hell do I know??)going slow, give people time to adjust, start doing things that normal families do as you get comfortable with each other, like remeber kids birthdays, having holidays together, summer gatherings. Start keeping up with each other ( it doesn't have to be every day!--major life events can be agood start) Get to know each other

When I was split apart from my family because of my involvement in wayworld, it wasn't something that became wonderful overnight but took a lot of years of work to really put it all back together. Its worth the effort-It takes time to build solid relationshps but it is by far the best thing I have ever done.

After being more or less apart in some phases or in some sort of not really close contact for about 20 years, we have been all back together for the last 15+, For about the past 8 or 9 years we all make it apoint to get together 5 or 6 times a year (all of us), and all of us have many other times were we see one of the other ones for something or another. We all stay in loose but close contact. For us it has taken time--but its worth it

Edited by mstar1
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My syblings are spread out over a period of 30 years.

They attend family dinners twice a year, and can not stand each other. None of them follow sports, but when they get together nobody has anything they want to say, so they turn-on a ballgame and it is the only time any of them watch.

Bonnie and I have tried to fit in with them, but if I actually try to 'talk' and see what someone's life is like or what they are doing, it offends everyone else.

Bonnie is very well liked by each of my neices and nephews, but again she is the only one in the family who knows what any of them are taking in college, or what their ideals are for career fields.

We do try to make it out there and visit the family every five years or so.

My eldest sister died a couple years ago. We flew out for her funeral and come to find out, none of my brothers had even planned to attend her funeral. They all lived locally to each other. But they really have never 'liked' each other. I had to talk, repeatedly to each of them, to convince them to attend. None of them had even planned on getting the time off from their jobs to attend. As it turned out, each of us brothers were scheduled to be pall-bearers.

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Hey hon. Let me welcome you to the world of the blessed, the few, the reunited adoptees. What we find isn't always what we dreamed is it? That said ...

I found them all. Mom, dad, 11 brothers and sisters (still one half bro out there somewhere who will be number 12), aunts, uncles, grandparents. That was in 1991. Mom had 7 kids, 7 different fathers. Dad had 6 kids, 4 with his wife, missing half bro and I 'made' the times he cheated on his wife when she was pregnant. Some I've met, some wanted no contact which I respected. Is it want I dreamed of finding? No, but it's my reality. I have to be satisfied with knowing where all my medical probs came from and who I talk like, laugh like, think like, etc. (all from Mom). You know the drill I'm sure.

We grow up without answers, questioning our every move and wondering who we got it from. When we finally find our birth family, the questions start overflowing and can overwhelm those we find. We don't mean to be a pain in their foot, but we can come off as such. When you factor in the aspect of the kept children not knowing of your existance, it can get really stressful on them. They are trying to adjust to having a new brother or sister in their life and accept the fact their mom (or dad) wasn't the saint they thought she was. They are no longer the oldest, youngest, whichever, there is now someone taking their 'spot' in the family. While we get what we are searching for, we take the risk of ripping their entire world apart.

I grew up an only child too. Suddenly I found 11 brother and sisters. I won't tell you how to be a sister to those you found, because I don't know the answer either. I go between talking to my oldest sis on Mom's side a lot, to no contact for extended periods. I have no contact with the rest of my siblings via their choice after the original contact. Mom I talk to, Dad wants nothing to do with me and won't even claim me as his, although my siblings from him have at least acknowledged me. 2 of my siblings were dead by the time adoption records were opened, so I don't know what their choice would have been.

I'm sure the sister that recently found you is still in the 'want to know it all' frame of mind. She's got tons of questions to ask and is trying to find the answers. Obviously you can't answer them all as you were adopted too. That brings it all on your bro's head and he's not ready to deal with 2 'found' sisters and learning things about his mom that he never dreamed he would have to face. Until he is ready to talk to her, I hope she can remain patient, without getting offended by his lack of willingness to respond to her. My heart goes out to all of you as you deal with the different sides of the triad.

I doubt any of this helped you, but I wanted you to know there is someone out here who does understand what you are dealing with. I'm crying for you as I type this out. I'm here if you ever need to talk about it to someone who's been there.

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Templelady,

I am glad for you that you found them but am sorry for the difficulty. Let me just say it is not your job or even in your power to fix the situation but just love them. Stay nuetral. Sometimes the opportunity comes up to say the right thing that can give someone a different perspective, if it happens so be it , if not, oh well. Talk with them as often as you like, no more no less. It's a shame your brother feels that way. What his mother did before he was born doesn't change what she did for him one bit. Families sure are the greatest joy and pain. God bless you all.

Coup

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MO - I think I can relate somewhat. I have two brothers and a sister. We all share the same mother, but have different fathers. We grew up as siblings, never using words like half-brother or half-sister.

My sister falsely accused my little brother of molesting her daughter shortly after Mom died 28 years ago. I hadn't seen my little brother for 25 years when I found him just two weeks ago.

He and I picked up right where we left off, as we always had been close.

We talked on the phone daily that first week, for hours. This week we've spoken less, but are also emailing in between calls. We won't be separated again.

He and my other brother are doing well also, but aren't spending as much time catching up as he and I are. He said he's calling me every day because he really wants to catch up as quickly as he can with me. With the other brother, he's taking it slower. He has his reasons.

My sister has tried to encourage me to seek my birth father. I'm the only one of Mom's kids that doesn't know who their father is. I no longer seek him.

One of the things I'm thankful to the way for is that while I was "with the way" I studied 1 John 3:1 and became very secure in my belief that unlike two adoptive fathers, God will never "sign away parental rights" to me. (That was back when independent learning was encouraged in the way.) HE is my father for now and all of eternity.

My sister has never laid eyes on my 9-year-old daughter. I've come to realize that my sister is one of those people that's just not happy unless there is some major drama going on in her life. And I mean really major. The false accusations of our younger brother is a good example of the type of trouble she continually stirs up.

My older brother and I have always stayed in touch and kept our kids close to each other. My sister's son has kept in touch with us since last summer when he and bow jr were reunited. They live in the same county in FL.

Interestingly, the reunion between my older brother and I with our younger brother happened the day before the 28-year-anniversary of Mom's death. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

My advice to you is to take care of your own heart. Only allow as much contact as YOU are comfortable with. At this point, I'd say it's all about YOU. Good luck!

Edited by bowtwi
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Ah {{{{{Mo}}}}}.

BB's right...we never find what we were looking for.

The biggest clue...to me...of what's going on here is that you are the only one who was brought up as an 'only child'. This tells me the other two know the sibling games...and know you're caught in the middle.

My personal advice? Leave them to their own troubles and keep each one separate from the other in YOUR life.

Whether aware or not, ANY person who has ever been a sibling knows how to manipulate/maneuver things into their own favor. Best for any 'only' to stay the hell outta the way...you'll never ever get one leg up on the whole game. And it IS a game...especially for divided-then-blended families.

Tell each sibling that you are not a go-between, you are not a 'fixer', you are not interested in anything but YOUR relationship with each one INDIVIDUALLY. If either or both cannot handle this position, then let 'em stew awhile...you've gotten along without them just fine, and you'll do it again if they wish.

Just don't get put in the middle. EVER.

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Templelady...

I have several siblings and amazingly, we are all relatively normal... no drugs or alcohol problems, all working, most happily married. We were all raised together in the same house that the folks still live in.

That is not to say we haven't had our family squabbles. We are all opinionated and stubborn. And we are all capable of exhibiting quite a fiery temper. We've had open rifts that have lasted several months, and we've had simmering rifts that just bubble beneath the surface for years, waiting for someone to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person and then boy, just watch the explosions! So, what the heck do you do when sister A is furious with brother B and both think they are right, and both think they've been wronged, etc.

The best advice posted here is "stay neutral". It's really hard to do when one sibling is pushing at you to be on their side, (been there, done that!) but for your own sanity you simply HAVE to stick up for yourself. Tell your half-sister you care about her and you understand her point of view, but that frankly you ALSO understand your brother's point of view and she needs to respect that.

And if she is "clingy" right now, don't you feel guilty for setting your own boundaries!! If she emails you every day, just take your time in replying. If she calls you every day, let the answering machine pick it up, and call her back when YOU feel like it. If she complains just calmly explain to her that you are happy with a certain level of communication, and you are very sorry if it is different than hers.

I realize that this involves a certain amount of adjustment on your side: perhaps you hate letting the answering machine pick up your calls. But, hey, welcome to the land of being in a family.

Where it goes from there is entirely up to her. She will either calm down and realize that she's not the only person on the planet, or she won't. And you can't control that. If she continues to push, you may need to continue to back off... even to the end of changing your phone number or email address if need be...

I know that sounds drastic, but the bottom line is: you are just as important as they are. So don't let them push you around. Just because they are family doesn't mean they own you, or you owe them anything but love. And you can love them very much and still not allow them to suck you into their issues.

Hope this helps.

THW

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Mo,

Mixed blessing, eh? :mellow:

I agree with what coupcake said. You just love 'em and tell them they have to work out their relationships independent of their relationships with you. I have to do that with my aunts sometimes. :)

My ex, before cutting his family out of his life at Moneyhands "suggestion", would talk to his mother every Sunday afternoon and would visit with them at least once a month, if not more.

Me? I may talk to my parents once a week for a while and then not talk to them for several months.....just depends on what's going on in our lives. We pick up right where we left off and none of us get our feelings hurt over it.

My little brother and I are best friends and when the chips are down, we're the first person each other thinks of to call to discuss things.....then we call Mama. :D We will go for months without talking and one day one of us will pick up the phone and say, "We need to catch up" and we'll be on the phone for hours, but it'll be another four months before we talk again. LOL! It doesn't mean we aren't as close as siblings who talk all the time, it's just what works for us. :)

I guess different people have different needs and since you were raised an only child, you are used to having "your space" and "your time" and not really having to check in with someone or keep constant contact. If your sister's too needy then maybe letting her know that you need to have more space and ease into the relationship at a slower pace will help any guilt feelings you might have about not wanting or needing to talk to her so much.

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I think it would be tough to be building all new relationships with siblings in mid life.

For a number of years when I was in TWI I rarely spent time in any way with my siblings. Then, somewhere around '96 or so I began to see that things were so ugly in TWI, we might be forced to go. I began to repair bridges with sister and younger brother. (My older brother is severly mentally ill).

We were all close as children and teens, and my younger bro and sis remained close, while I winged off with TWI. My older brother...well, he has some good days. And we remember what he was like when we were young, before the illness progressed.

We finally left TWI and moved to be closer to my family. My siblings and I had to deal with the illnesses and deaths of both parents, plus take over the care of my older brother who lived with my parents most of his adult life. Not easy situations. My sis and I are best friends. We talk or visit daily, we have children around the same ages and are similar in parenting and expectations. It is a comfortable relationship, with few areas of conflict, probably because we think so much alike.

When conflicts do arise(usually something about older bro), we try to reach a compromise. We agree that it is important that we spread the caretaking around so it doesn't all fall on one person's shoulders, yet we need to make exceptions for my brother who travels for his work...it can get tense at times.

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Some good posts.

I do agree, that often I find when I am speaking with a family member, I am being forced or pushed into something.

I do think that there is something about sybling relationships that often cause each to be trying to manipulate the other.

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