Please can I hear your positive relationships with your opposite sex sibling?

[sunriseoversea]

Hello!

I have one DS (who I am close with) and one DB (who I am not close with at all). My experience of having a brother has actually been pretty rubbish.

I have one DD and am expecting a DS this summer. We won't have any more. I am personally excited to have one of each DC, but it's made me reflect on my relationships with my own siblings a bit. I have a good frame of reference for a close sister/sister relationship, but not a brother/sister one.

To offset my experience, I would love to hear about your positive experiences of adult brother/sister relationships - do you communicate often, spend time together, know each others kids, rely on each other, support one another with your parents etc?? These are all things I hope for them (though I realise there are no guarantees with any siblings!).

Thank you :)

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply to this. I've honestly been so reassured by all your stories. I know there's never any guarantees but I'm going to come back to this thread every time I worry about it ❤️

I had one brother who was 2.5 years younger. Unfortunately I just lost him at Xmas and have felt absolutely dead inside ever since.
We were close growing up, went on holiday and days out together.
He was/is my best friend and I'm absolutely gutted he's left this earth so soon.

I got on ok with my brother when we were little. Better as we went through teens. It was my brother introduced me to my now husband. We still see each other regularly and I get on well with him and my SiL.

I have two. Great relationship with both but I'm super close to my youngest brother. He's my most favourite person. My older brother is ace too and we get on really well because we're actually very alike, but we've never quite shaken off that older / younger dynamic where he thinks he's in charge!

I have 2 much younger brothers and we have a fantastic relationship;they know they can come to me for anything.My youngest brother and my eldest DC are extremely close.

My husband and his sister are 4 years apart. They are very close and have a lovely close relationship. Now I am married to him we are all 3 close together. It's absolutely lovely. It's one of the reasons I liked my husband..that he was so sweet and kind with his sister.

I have 2 brothers and we get on brilliantly. We're in touch every day (we prefer WhatsApp to phone calls but I'm like this with everyone). We're all pretty similar and share the same sense of humour. Our children get on well together too.
I just love spending time with them! It feels so easy, relaxed and happy when we're together.

if you want to help your DC have a close relationship, you have to foster that.

Encourage them to appreciate each other, dont accept arguing or fighting, tell them how important their relationship is.

I have 2 much older sisters and we have a good relationship. My mum was instrumental in that

I have a brother two years younger. We used to fight like cat and dog as kids but once the teenage years hit we were thick as thieves. He actually ended up moving in with me for a couple of years when I moved out at 17.

As adults with families of our own we see each other at least weekly, either planned or we're passing by and fancy a cuppa or just cause one of us has been to Costco and know what the other one likes. We've always babysat each other's kids if the other was working or had a night out. As a single parent I'm often invited along on their family holidays (with SIL's parents) and he's my designated "man for manly stuff" like helping to build a bed or tile a floor while I'm his designated "smart person for smart person stuff" like interest rates on his mortgage. Our kids are very close and now at the age where they'll pop along to each other's houses and be fed and watered and end up staying the night. We also take turns of getting our grandparents shopping in etc.

My SIL is one of my best friends (they've been together since they were 14&16 so we're each part of the other's family now).

I used to wish I had a sister but I really wouldn't change him for the world.

My brother is 2 years older than me. We are best friends and he is my biggest cheerleader. He has no kids but is the most astonishing Uncle ever. We have had long periods in life where we were living very separate lives and we are so different, but he is honestly the best person I know and no one makes me laugh as much as him.