Inspired by all the siblings threads lately..

[DisneyPhD]

I have 3 older brothers. I was either very protected, or completely beaten up. I guess I took a lot of abuse from them, but I just liked being close to them (and they abused either other a bit too.)

I think older brothers are great. I was always attracted to guys who were older brothers when I was dating too. I always seemed to be friends with their little sisters too. In fact my best friend I meet because I was going out with her brother. That didn't last, but our friendship did. My DH is a younger brother, but the more mature one of the 2 of them though.

 

[azgal81]

I have a younger brother and we are very close we would be close regardless if he was older and I was the younger one though.

 

[megan4777]

I am the oldest with 2 younger bros...1yr and 6yrs younger.
I was close with bro#1 until we hit teen years and we couldn't stand each other. We were the total opposite of each other and would torment each other. I became close with my youngest brother and remained that way until about 5 yrs ago. I don't know what happened but I'm almost 30, now, and we all talk and visit, but we aren't close. I have 2 dd's that love their uncles but we're just not that close anymore....
It's sad and I hope the my dd's don't turn out like my brothers and I did....

 

[AuroraBorealis]

My brother is younger by three years. We didn't get along as teenagers (really, who does? ) but now what we are "adults" at 24 and 21, we are best friends.

I don't think birth order has anything to do with it-- with our personalities we'd be friends either way and probably even if we weren't related.

I think a lot of it also comes from seeing how stressed out our parents became when dealing with their dysfunctional siblings. (My parents are the only "normal" ones in their families and their siblings are the reason jails and rehab exist) We decided we never wanted to be like that.