My younger brother, who’s now 17, just doesn’t seem to care about our family anymore. At some point, I told him that he wasn’t putting in any effort, but he insisted that wasn’t true. Still, now it feels like he’s completely checked out, and it really frustrates me.
I always had the expectation that our family would stay united that we’d be close the way me and my sister are, doing things together, being social. But he feels like the black sheep. He only spends time with his friends, never joins us for movie nights like he used to, and stays in his room most of the time. Even when he talks with us at table he is just doing small talk.
Honestly, I’m starting to realize that the school he went to probably shaped a lot of his personality, and I can’t help but feel like the future is doomed. i feel that I’ll only really see him at Christmas each year, and that he’ll never change.
This brings up a lot of feelings for me. I know I’m the older brother and maybe I shouldn’t care so much but i do.
**TL;DR;** : My younger brother (17) has grown distant from our family he’s always with friends and barely talks to us. I feel like it will never change and only get worse.
Comments
He’s 17.. it sounds fairly normal. Relax a little bit and let him do his thing. If you hold on too tight it may push him away further
Could it be possible he’s picking up on vibes that he’s the “black sheep”? If so, it should be pretty clear why he’s not hanging out.