Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog

Brothers, Sisters, Strangers
Brothers, Sisters, Strangers

Welcome to my new blog! Here, you can freely discuss your challenges with sibling relationships. If you would like, I will not use your name to protect your privacy.

My interest in this topic is rooted in my personal story; my older brother and I didn't talk to each other for most of my adult life. Over time, we did reconcile, and I captured that journey in my book, Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation.

For years, I've wondered about the nature of sibling relationships and, in particular, when and how they break down, cut off, or enter the territory of estrangement. How do sibling estrangement and reconciliation define an individual?

Here, I hope to give others the opportunity to explore this underacknowledged topic, which many experts call "epidemic." Like me, you may find it helpful to think through these issues; writing a post for this blog may provide a useful structure to begin to do so. Writing is therapeutic and capturing stories in words benefits both the writer and the reader. In fact, I have created a writing workbook, The Sibling Estrangement Journal: A Guided Exploration of Your Experience through Writing, offering you a private, emotional outlet to understand and process the grief of sibling estrangement.

Here is the link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLLTT6SJ#SalesRank

For those who are seeking personal life coaching, I offer private sessions to discuss estrangement, reconciliation, and family relations. Please email me at fernschumer@gmail.com to discuss details. Thanks for participating and posting.

Jingle Bell Alert: During the holidays, social media can be perilous for the estranged!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202112/new-holiday-tradition-the-estranged-quit-social-media

Staying Connecting to Siblings When You Hate Their Politics

New blog post at pyschologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202112/staying-connected-siblings-when-you-hate-their-politics

New blog on psychologytoday.com

Here is the first post on my new blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brothers-sisters-strangers/202112/how-the-holidays-leave-the-estranged-out-in-the-cold

Brothers, Sisters, Strangers included on this 2021 Holiday Gift Giving Guide

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=arts__entertainment&sc=books&id=310712&fbclid=IwAR1dDyQ2XtmgrxtAazvqcGz5wfZP03t0hokfWhJmfbxSbyj9B-8JKoHnnlk

Chicago’s WBBM Newsradio 780 features Brothers, Sisters, Strangers

https://www.audacy.com/wbbm780/news/local/holidays-rules-and-limitations-a-must-for-family https://fernschumerchapman.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Cover-8f840938-scaled-1.jpg">

New Research: Sibling rivalry lasts a lifetime

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10106757/Sibling-rivalry-lasts-adulthood-study-reveals.html

Boomer Magazine features “Brothers, Sisters, Strangers”

https://www.boomermagazine.com/sibling-estrangement-and-the-road-to-reconciliation/

A reader feels a little less alone

Dear Ms. Chapman, My two daughters have been estranged since summer 2018, three years now.  One went into the Navy, soon to be stationed in Hawaii,  the other lives with her boyfriend about 45 minutes  away.  The Navy daughter and I are very close, the other older daughter also has not spoken to me in three years. When I turned 60 last September she texted me. It had been 2 ...

A Reader’s Response

Phil W. reconciled with only sister after decades of estrangement. Here, he identifies the reason he distanced himself from his family. Reading Brother, Sisters, Strangers has caused me to think about my decades-long estrangement from and reconciliation with my younger sister. Often, there isn’t one dramatic cause of a ruptured relationship. In my case, estrangement was the result of a long-ago event that shattered our family and left all of us broken ...

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