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Relationships

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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:

Pahpahpotato · 26/05/2023 08:23

ive three brothers. Two younger, one older. I’m very close to them all. From each other, they are chalk and cheese but they all bring their own unique qualities. My younger brothers are like mates, but my older brother took on more of a ‘father’ role in that he helped me choose and buy my first car etc. We all have our own lives going on of course, but we see each other at least every couple of weeks.
One brother has four children between 1 and 10 years old and I am very close to them too, and I try to foster a close cousin relationship between them and my one child too.

Godwindar · 26/05/2023 08:44

One older. Live in same area. Very bad relationship up to me moving out and fine since then. Less routine contact then you have and we saw more of each other in person when we had younger kids (all the same age). However, when the chips were down for me 3 years ago, he was absolutely there for me and on top of that did me a massive kindness. I'll always be grateful.

YouProbablyWontLikeTheAnswer · 26/05/2023 08:51

I had 3 older brothers. Two died many years ago (long stories). Eldest is left. He's 12 years older than me (I'm in my 60s). He lives 7 miles away but hasn't been to my house for 2 1/2 years. When I was seriously ill a couple of years ago (6 weeks in hospital), he didn't once ask my husband how I was. I text him most days, but he usually ignores it or answers "Ok". He texts me IF he's got a problem (yesterday it was his car). He doesn't send birthday or Christmas cards. He's incredibly self-centred and I won't miss him when he's gone.

Ilovelurchers · 26/05/2023 09:20

My contact with my brother is mostly on our family WhatsApp (me him and mom). Me and mom use it a lot, he probably only messages every three days or so. More if he is on holiday and sending pics etc.

I see him a few times a year at most - we do live in different parts of the country. My little girl and I did go to stay with him for a few nights at New Year tho, and I am hoping to do that again over the summer as it was lovely. He is child free and a loving uncle to my daughter, tho not a hugely involved one!

romdowa · 26/05/2023 09:23

I've one brother and if I never saw him again it would be too soon. He's a nasty and bitter guy who feels the world owes him.

PretzelKnot · 26/05/2023 09:34

I have one brother, 17 months older. He has been vile and violent to me as long as I can remember. It was like being caught in the Eye of Sauron for my entire childhood. He loathed me. No reason. I barely see him now- he still sneers and mocks everything I do. I’m a mild mannered friendly person who everyone else seems to like and I have never fallen out with anyone else or had any dramas in my life outside of him.

It makes me so sad. My son and daughters argue and fight at times, but love each other and always have each other’s back. I wish I had had that growing up. I am on extremely low contact with him and will cut him off completely after our parents die. They say the sibling relationship is the longest relationship you will ever have. I wish I could have someone to reminisce about childhood but I’ve accepted that it’s not to be.

caughtinamess · 26/05/2023 09:39

One brother here. One year younger than me. We grew up together until the age of 15 But saw each other every weekend or so up until our mid 20s as we lived local to each other. Now in our mid 30s we live at a long distant I text him every now and then but it's just random stuff, a meme or an article o asking how they are. I don't think I have ever said I to my brother 🤣🤣

Maddy70 · 26/05/2023 09:41

My brother and I used to be really close until he met his wife who clearly doesn't like any of our family. We see him for around an hour at Christmas time for us to give their children their presents.

It's a shame but that's what it is

RoseRobot · 26/05/2023 09:47

I have a brother and he is probably the member of my family I get on best with. I love my sister too, but we are very different. Whereas when I meet my brother, we talk for hours and listen to music and cook together. We'r eon the same wavelenth with similar interests. With DSis we tend to talk about family as aside from that, there's less in common.

Dbrother is lousy at getting in touch, but so am I. Neither of us feels guilty about it.

TheFormidableMrsC · 26/05/2023 10:21

I had a brother who I adored but he died suddenly a few years ago. I miss him terribly. We were quite different but he was such a good man with a good heart and would do anything for anybody. Life is so cruel sometimes.

Fairymother · 26/05/2023 10:51

I do! Good relationship. He lives close by and im godmother to his DD. My kids are the same age as her so we do lots of things together.
We are very different and dont always see eye to eye. I think if we werent related we wouldnt really be friends, but we love each other and always manage to find middle ground or let things go. We spend quite a lot of time together (we meet 2x a week the whole families, then i have my godchild with me a lot or they have my kids over, we holiday together 1-2x a year etc.) and considering that, we get along really well.

Chasingadvice · 26/05/2023 10:55

SecretSister123 · 05/02/2023 22:49

I have name changed for this one as this could be outing and at least 1 person on here will know me.

I have twin step-brothers, the same age as me.

They don't know about me; go figure that bombshell.

The children of your parent's partners?
I don't really see why they shouldn't know about you- unless you are mistaken and mean half brothers.

Lovegossip · 26/05/2023 10:57

I have 1 that is 20 years younger than me, never lived with him as I moved out before he was born but we get on quite well

Chinuplippyon · 26/05/2023 11:27

Love him, similar tastes/ interests in some areas and humour so when we text and hang out it's like friends. Love his DW too and they get on with my DP. Not in touch constantly but we meet up and stay with each other and have a WhatsApp group. We didn't really have the kind of upbringing that means we say 'I love you' or anything but we are close in our own way. There's a slight brittleness between us that I think comes from having such an irritable dad, we perhaps can't be our completely open selves socially or in terms of affection. I think because we were constantly being told to shut up etc at any sign of messing about or laughing but it doesn't detract from genuinely getting on.

familyissues12345 · 26/05/2023 11:42

Yes I have a brother, no we aren't close. We're very different people and have lived very different lives. He's ok, just a bit stuck up and "only my opinion counts" kind of person.

We see each other a few times a year, message a similar amount - normally to discuss parents presents or something like that. Not chit chat.

Luckily he has a lovely partner who I get on with and we meet up seperatly (she's on ML currently)

It's a shame, im sure my parents hoped we'd be closer, we're just not.

Holly60 · 26/05/2023 17:58

Love my brother to bits. We don't call each other as often as we should but we chat on WhatsApp every few days. We tell each other we love each other and I know he'd drop everything to help me, as I would him. Also adore his wife and my niblings.

I have a son and a daughter - adults now and they are also really close.

I think there is something special about the brother/sister relationship. It seems to lack the horrible competitiveness that I've seen in same sex sibling relationships and seems to be somehow more relaxed and straightforward.

Feel so lucky to have my brother

Maloneyb · 27/05/2023 21:15

Your relationship is lovely!

my brother is my best friend but we would never say we love each other nor say we think we’re great 😂
we speak everyday pretty much
couldn’t live without him.

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