Awards

I'm the oldest, she's three years younger. We were both homely little girls born to physically attractive parents who I think were dismayed by what they got. I was quick and smart; my sister was not smart. We never had more in common than our parents, an angry alcoholic father and a needy neurotic mother. As a child my sister played the baby role as long as she could, while ...

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/opinion-nazi-membership-family-histories/?share=htorzm0iw2raopon2smr

  A new survey finds that the stress of caring for aging parents can break sibling bonds. KEY POINTS One in five people report experiencing permanent sibling estrangement due to caring for an aging parent. Nearly half of caregivers report that they resent a sibling because caregiving was not shared fairly. Gender expectations can shape how families divide care; daughters are typically the hands-on caregiver. A family text thread may ...

When a relative gets a life-threatening diagnosis, the estranged -- like Prince Harry -- face a cruel deadline that poses difficult questions: Should I call? Would my presence help or harm? If I stay away, will I regret it? If I return, will I lose the boundaries that made life bearable? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202607/a-terminal-illness-sets-a-cruel-deadline-for-the-estranged

In midlife, some see things with fresh eyes, requiring a narrative revision. KEY POINTS In midlife - after parents die, children leave, careers plateau - some people do an emotional audit. Many find that the facts of their lives have not changed, but they often find the meaning has changed. Such an awakening prompts a reorganization of relationships, purpose, and identity,   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202606/a-midlife-awakening-seeing-things-anew-in-our-50s-and-60s

From the review: "As a parent, reading Brothers, Sisters, Strangers gave me a fuller perspective on how estrangement affects other members of a family. Learning more about sibling estrangement helped me better understand the consequences of estrangement between my own children. "It also reminded me that whether the cutoff is between siblings, parents and children, or other relatives, the losses—while different in some ways—often feel quite similar. "This book doesn’t ...

  In midlife - after parents die, children leave, careers plateau - some people do an emotional audit. Many find that the facts of their lives have not changed, but they often find the meaning has changed. Such an awakening prompts a reorganization of relationships, purpose, and identity,  

My dear friend Jürgen Flügge continues to tell the story of our mothers' deep friendship. His mother, Mina, lived with my mother's family, the Westerfelds, for several years during the 1930s. During the Great Depression, Mina's family in Stockstadt am Rhein couldn't afford to feed all of their children, so her parents asked my grandparents if their 15-year-old could do chores in exchange for room and board. Mina became much ...

Parents on social media find they aren't alone: "It's a pain you can't describe!"  

Fern, I just read your article 'How Narcissism Can Lead to Sibling Estrangement', and I recognised every single description. This is not a surprise to me, since I've struggled with 'sibling estrangement' for nearly two decades. And she's my only one... (adding to a deep-rooted sense of self-blame). A turning point in my life was when I broke the news of my pregnancy with my sister (and of course, she'd ...