Tips for Dealing with Estranged Siblings

I am the youngest of the children in my family. My brother is one year older than I. My sister is four years my senior. I currently live within five hundred yards of my sister. We rarely ever speak to one another. My brother lives about 2600 miles away, and if I can, I avoid conversations with him also.

It is not that I hate my siblings, I don't despise them. I just have very little to say to them. We have next to nothing in common, and I find myself feeling disintrested when I do give in and speak to either of them. I find we get along better when we don't talk, and that is fine by me. I don't have the time or energy to keep up with the drama of their lives.

My brother probably doesn't care that I keep my physical and emotional distance. My sister, on the other hand, is really quite annoyed by my indifference. When we do talk, she usually exclaims something like "What is wrong with you Chenault? Why are you so cold?" or my favorite "Some day, you will regret your behavior. People have to talk, it is unhealthy to be so reserved." She is right, but it is not like I refuse to talk to everyone. Besides that, I am a private person. I keep some details to myself.

The truth is, I am different from they are. I have no children, I am unmarried, I don't own a home. I am still struggling through college. I have interests and ideas that they can't relate to. Between work, school, and my social life, not to mention my relationship with my parents. I honestly just can't accept anymore drama into my life right now. My siblings are filled with drama, and I find them exhausting and boring. I love them dearly, because I am not involved in their lives, I can maintain the same level of love.

Maybe someday I will have a change of heart about my relationships with them, but I doubt it. In an emergency I wouldn't turn my back on either of them, but otherwise I hope they live their lives happily, and I hope they keep their distance also.

My estrangement from my siblings has been on going for over a decade now. I can't say that it is really the greatest situation, as awkward moments have occurred. My parents suffer more than we do, as they wish we could be close.