bel, thank you so much for sharing this. i’m the youngest of six, with a 12.5 year gap from beginning to end. most of my siblings struggle with mental health, but a few of us have been diagnosed. it is so wonderful to have an answer to questions but also so difficult to reconcile your experiences growing up with the reality you’re experiencing now. it’s like a sigh of relief to read this newsy and see validation to some of my experiences and thoughts 💛 xxx
I had a whole novel written, but I am going to DM you instead because it might be an existentialism. This was so beautifully written. I am the oldest of 3, with my brother in the middle (15 months younger) and my sister is the baby (3 years 4 months younger than me). We lost my brother in a horrific car accident just over 2 years ago and the grief is very real still. I didn't talk to my brother for a couple years when we were in our 20s, and had just started rekindling our relationship at the end of 2018 when he surprised me by showing up for my wedding (he was in desert training for his next deployment, he was active duty Army). I had plans with him the September after he died, I was in a wedding in the city he was stationed in. My sister and I fought intensely that first Christmas, and I almost didn't go to my grandma's to celebrate because I was so hurt, but I sucked it up and she and I did the very sisterly thing of pretending it never happened and never talking about it again. We've become closer over the last year, and I think that her living with me for 4 months at the end of 2022 helped her understand me better, and the issues I deal with with my mental and physical health in addition to the sibling grief. She's dealing with her own issues right now and while I want to tell her I'm depressed again, she's got a load of issues and I don't want to bother her. (I am fine, I see my therapist regularly and was put back on an SSRI, I told my best friend who is a counselor that I have the sparkly sads and she said "same"). Every sibling dynamic is so different, and we all show love differently.
Bel, thank you for sharing ❤️ you so perfectly put into words how it feels to feel love in a complicated family relationship. I relate to this so much with my relationship with my dad and have always felt guilt over not loving him the typical way children love their parents but this newsy feels like validation that sometimes just loving someone through circumstance is all you can do xx
thank you for sharing this 🥺 it definitely made me feel less alone abt my relationships with my siblings. i’m the youngest of 5 but we’re all half siblings living all across the US. it was really nice reading this and knowing that others feel the same way as i do 🫶🏻
bel, thank you so much for sharing this. i’m the youngest of six, with a 12.5 year gap from beginning to end. most of my siblings struggle with mental health, but a few of us have been diagnosed. it is so wonderful to have an answer to questions but also so difficult to reconcile your experiences growing up with the reality you’re experiencing now. it’s like a sigh of relief to read this newsy and see validation to some of my experiences and thoughts 💛 xxx
I had a whole novel written, but I am going to DM you instead because it might be an existentialism. This was so beautifully written. I am the oldest of 3, with my brother in the middle (15 months younger) and my sister is the baby (3 years 4 months younger than me). We lost my brother in a horrific car accident just over 2 years ago and the grief is very real still. I didn't talk to my brother for a couple years when we were in our 20s, and had just started rekindling our relationship at the end of 2018 when he surprised me by showing up for my wedding (he was in desert training for his next deployment, he was active duty Army). I had plans with him the September after he died, I was in a wedding in the city he was stationed in. My sister and I fought intensely that first Christmas, and I almost didn't go to my grandma's to celebrate because I was so hurt, but I sucked it up and she and I did the very sisterly thing of pretending it never happened and never talking about it again. We've become closer over the last year, and I think that her living with me for 4 months at the end of 2022 helped her understand me better, and the issues I deal with with my mental and physical health in addition to the sibling grief. She's dealing with her own issues right now and while I want to tell her I'm depressed again, she's got a load of issues and I don't want to bother her. (I am fine, I see my therapist regularly and was put back on an SSRI, I told my best friend who is a counselor that I have the sparkly sads and she said "same"). Every sibling dynamic is so different, and we all show love differently.
Beautiful.
Bel, thank you for sharing ❤️ you so perfectly put into words how it feels to feel love in a complicated family relationship. I relate to this so much with my relationship with my dad and have always felt guilt over not loving him the typical way children love their parents but this newsy feels like validation that sometimes just loving someone through circumstance is all you can do xx
Thanks for sharing Bel! I only have one sibling and I no longer speak to them so its nice to not feel alone in these difficult sibling relationships.
thank you for sharing this 🥺 it definitely made me feel less alone abt my relationships with my siblings. i’m the youngest of 5 but we’re all half siblings living all across the US. it was really nice reading this and knowing that others feel the same way as i do 🫶🏻
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thank you for sharing this bel!
ohhh bel thank you for sharing this <3
belllll 🩷🩷