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Original poster

Do you have a brother?

117 replies

watchesrubber · 05/02/2023 21:31

I have a brother and I'd say we were reasonably close. We talk or text once every two weeks or so. Most of it is me texting him and him suddenly remembering he has a sister (ha!) and responding. When we do text, we always exchange 'love yous' etc and occasionally he'll randomly message me to say he thinks I'm great etc. We live about 400 miles apart so not that easy to see each other regularly.

Just wondering if others have brothers and what your relationship is like?

OP posts:
sunshineandshowers40 · 05/02/2023 21:52

I have a brother and we get on fine when we see each other but only really contact each other at Christmas/ birthdays. I am in touch with his partner a lot more often.

honeyfox · 05/02/2023 21:54

I have one, a couple of years younger. Moderately close, he lives in a different country. He's getting married soon and I really like his fiancee so hopefully we will be closer in the future.

BlueKaftan · 05/02/2023 21:57

I have a brother, and we text almost every day. We have a bond because of our upbringing and his current situation with his wife who is very ill.

wishuponastar1988 · 05/02/2023 21:57

Yes I have a brother who is 18 months younger than me. We are very close, we live about 100 miles apart but we chat on the phone regularly or text. Lots of banter and we always go to each other for advice etc. I am very close to his wife too and we text every single day without fail - she's become one of my best friends

Soozikinzii · 05/02/2023 22:01

Yes I have a brother with similar amount of contact . I text him about football mostly . Then he'll answer and we banter a bit . I have a sister with even less contact though . So it might be something do with our family ! Our Dad died in our childhood though so I do put some of our distance down to that . I wouldn't swap my brother for anyone though !

SpinningFloppa · 05/02/2023 22:02

I have 3 brothers and don’t speak to any of them, no falling out we just aren’t close!

ScabbyHorse · 05/02/2023 22:03

My brother and I are super close.

Icecreamandapplepie · 05/02/2023 22:07

Chat with my bro on the phone couple of tines a week usually.

See him once every 2 or 3 months. Probably will be less when my mum dies but will still keep up our relationship by phone.

Live nearly two hours away from each other.

mnahmnah · 05/02/2023 22:09

I have a younger brother who lives in Australia. We regularly FaceTime - just been on for half an hour now - and we WhatsApp daily. Not seen him in nearly 5 years but we are still super close. Talk about everything that’s going on with us. Always there when we need each other. I really miss him. Both in our 40s.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 05/02/2023 22:09

We have flurries of conversations over WhatsApp. He’s in America and I’m uk based so only see him once a year. Not seeing him for 2 years due to covid (saw them summer 2019 when we went there and they were due to visit Easter 2020… didn’t see them until summer 2022).

we know each other are there for each other but don’t talk weekly.

WaddleAway · 05/02/2023 22:09

I did, he died in a horrific accident 14 years ago (when he was 27). We were very close, would have loved to see if that had continued as we got older.

Redglitter · 05/02/2023 22:10

My brother is 4 years younger than me. We message most days even if its just very briefly. We talk on the phone around once a week & see each other probably at least once a month. I'd say we're pretty close

Gwdihooooo · 05/02/2023 22:11

My brother is 13yrs younger than me. I moved out when he was 7. Since the. i’ve lived at least 50 miles away.

We’re not close but we do chat on the family whatsapp. I see him a few times a year but only because I’m visiting other family too.

I have a sister who is a year younger than me. We are closer. She is much closer to my bro than I am…. They chat and meet
up regularly but they’ve always lived in the same area.

CordeliaNaismithVorkosigan · 05/02/2023 22:13

I did, he died two years ago. We weren’t exactly close (unlike me and my sister) but undoubtedly loved each other and enjoyed our time together when we did see each other.

Freetodowhatiwant · 05/02/2023 22:14

My brother and I are very close despite hin living in the US. We speak often and video call and he comes over as often as he can. He’s also very close to my parents. I don’t see people with brothers as any different than people with sisters, if that makes sense, some siblings are close some are not so close.

Notmydaughteryoubitch · 05/02/2023 22:16

I have a brother, we weren't very close growing up and into our early twenties. But we have a lovely relationship now, he is just the best uncle to my DD and he and my DH have a gorgeous relationship too. He lives about 3 hours away, we see him every 2-3 months including having mini breaks/holidays together. Our parents are difficult so it's great to have each other for support and we all just have a lot of fun together. He isn't really who'd I'd go to in the first instance if something major happened but he also would always be there for me if I needed him.

Hoppinggreen · 05/02/2023 22:17

I have one.
I am normally not a fan as he has done a lot of things I don’t agree with and I certainly didn’t want him around my DC when they were younger due to certain views he holds.
However, he has really stepped up to help with my Mum and Sdad now they are old and unwell. I have to say that there is a large part of me wonders if he has an agenda

LittleBlueBrioTrain · 05/02/2023 22:17

Two

one 6 years older, we lost touch for a while after he split from his wife (most of my contact was and still is with her), but back in touch after our mother died. Text maybe every few weeks, meet up a few times a year. Live about 45 mins apart but both v busy with work and young families.

Younger brother is 10 years younger than me. Again we lost touch for a bit (although had very sporadic contact over facebook) as he distanced himself whilst going through some stuff and his eventual transition (he's transgender). Again, back in proper contact as a result of our mother dying. We message probably weekly and see each other a few times a year. He doesn't drive and lives further away.

We all went our separate ways to distance ourselves from our mum at young ages (all left home between 16-18 and went to make our own way in the world). but as a trio we're closer than we've ever been now.

TenoringBehind · 05/02/2023 22:19

I have a brother 4 years younger. We don’t really have anything to do with each other. No big fall out just very different people with nothing in common other than being related.

ThePoshUns · 05/02/2023 22:22

I have 2 younger brothers. I'd love to be closer but if I didn't contact them I don't think I'd ever see them. 😟

CMOTDibbler · 05/02/2023 22:22

I have one brother, haven't ever been close to him, and from 18 to 48 I spoke to him once a year, then once our parents had died and all legal stuff done I haven't spoken to him and never will!again. No big falling out.

DoubleShotEspresso · 05/02/2023 22:23

I have a brother. Used to be very close.
Much less so these days- infuriatingly difficult to ever get in touch with, rarely responds to messages.
He and his gf both operate largely via text/WhatsApp and rarely reply within a week...
I work in the basis that if I don't continue trying, then nobody else will. I worry for what this means in later years, it's bloody hard work.

ReadySteadyLife · 05/02/2023 22:24

I have a brother.
I wish we were closer. We're not.
No falling out. He's just interested in his world.
And I'm not really part of it.
Shame, we get on when we are together about once a year.

eandh · 05/02/2023 22:24

I have an older brother less than 2 years between us. We text during week all the time and on family whats app with all our children and grandparents on. Some weeks wont physically speak other weeks like this week we have chatted most days. He is best uncle to my girls (my daughter was first born baby since I was born on our side and he doted on her we didnt know sex and day after I had her he bought so many girl clothes and new years eve my 16 year old and her boyfriend chose to go to there house for new year party because they love spending time with him and his family!

I used to work part time so had his children 1 day a week to help with free childcare, if my eldest out in town (she is 18) and he isn't working early he always texts her to say he will collect her and bring her home (most of time I go as we are closer to town)

we also all went on holiday to greece in 2018 (we booked then they booked same hotel and was great as cousins all together) last year our holidays overlapped by 5 days and they were about 30 min drive from us in spain so they came
over to our villa and we had bbq and pool party. He really is like a best friend and a brother and all my nephews and nieces are like extra kids

MMBaranova · 05/02/2023 22:25

One. Just over a year younger. We needed each other to get through childhood. We had/have frankly odd parents who ran hot and cold and we bounced around in the wake of their international lifestyles. Those last two words might seem romantic, but it was more like rootless disorientation.

If we are in a room together it isn't so much we can finish each other's sentences as just not need to. Contact now? Can go 2 or 3 weeks without any and then there's a flurry. Nobody else in the world has an inkling where we are both coming FROM, although our adult selves are very different and have taken divergent paths.