Sibling relationships are special in many ways, not least because often siblings are the family members who go through their whole lives together But those relationships can be fraught with strife or tension, bouts of happiness or strain and stress. They can predict and affect other relationships in our lives, and they can offer solace or sadness over the years. Here, Suzanne Degges-White looks at the variety of sibling relationships with an eye to improving both the good and the bad. Using real stories throughout, the author illustrates the broad spectrum of problems (and rewards) that can come from having a sibling. Examining such factors as the early family constellation, birth order, cultural diversity, and family communication patterns, Degges-White illustrates how these relationships can affect so many other areas of our lives, and considers how adult sibling conflict, rivalry, abuse, and loss influence our lives. She offers suggestions for effective responses to adult sibling conflict as well as enhancing family communication and deepening the sibling connection in adulthood. No matter what the sibling relationship is or has become, this work will help readers consider how situations might be improved or addressed, even if it means letting go of unhealthy sibling relationships.

Beginning in the 1380s in the east-central Netherlands and in the county of Holland, the Devotio Moderna formed households organized as communes and forged lives centred on private devotion. This book places the movement in the context of urban society in the medieval Low Countries.

This edited volume presents unique insights on sibling relationships in adulthood in the early 21st century, focusing on three themes: relations beyond childhood and school years; factors shaping social support provision between siblings; and changes in family life and how these impact sibling relations. Comprised of chapters from distinguished international family scholars, this book examines sibling dynamics across age, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, geography, and social environments. It answers important questions such as, to what extent do siblings support each other at different stages of the life cycle? How do cultural practices and family obligations impact on sibling support? How does sibling support differ when looking at surrogates, migrant families, polygamous families, and siblings with disabilities? These contributions expand and contribute greatly to the field of sibling studies and will be of interest to all students and scholars studying and researching family relationships.

Living with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs focuses on the intensity of emotions that brothers and sisters experience when they have a sibling with special needs, and the hard questions they ask: What caused my sibling�s disability? Could my own child have a disability as well? What will happen to my brother or sister if my parents die? Written for young readers, the book discusses specific disabilities in easy to understand terms. It talks about the good and not-so-good parts of having a brother or sister who has special needs, and offers suggestions for how to make life easier for everyone in the family. The book is a wonderful resource, not just for siblings and their parents but also for teachers and other professionals who work with children with special needs. This revised and updated edition includes new sections on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, ultrasound, speech therapy, recent legislation on disabilities, and an extensive bibliography.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER When they were kids in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. Before he was thirty, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn’t hold on to full-time work—his life a world away from his sister’s, and from the rest of their family. Now Diane delves into the nuances of their shared, and separate, pasts to confront the difficult question of why and how Randy ended up living his life on “the other side of normal.” In beautiful and fearless prose intertwined with journal entries, letters, and poetry—much of it Randy’s own—and supplemented by personal photographs and artwork, this insightful, heartfelt memoir contemplates the inner workings of a family, the ties of love and responsibility that hold it together, and the special bond between siblings—even those who are pulled far apart.

Bonds between brothers and sisters are among the longest lasting and most emotionally significant of human relationships. But while 45 percent of adults struggle with serious sibling strife, few discuss it openly. Even fewer resolve it to their satisfaction.In Cain's Legacy, psychotherapist Jeanne Safer, a recognized authority on sibling psychology (and an estranged sister herself) illuminates this pervasive but hidden phenomenon. She explores the roots of inter-sibling woes, from siblicide in the book of Genesis to tensions in Frederique's family history. Drawing on sixty in-depth interviews with adult siblings struggling with conflicts over money, family businesses, aging parents, contentious wills, unhealed childhood wounds, and blocked communication, Safer provides compassionate guidance to brothers and sisters whose relationship is broken. She helps siblings overcome their paralysis and pain, revealing how they can come to terms with the one peer relationship they can never sever -- even if they never see each other again.A heartfelt look at a too-often avoided topic, Cain's Legacy is a sympathetic and clear-eyed guide to navigating the darkness separating us from our brothers and sisters.