I (27,F) am the middle child of three siblings. My little brother (M, 19) has always been somewhat different from my older brother (M, 29) and I. My older brother and I are very close and we lean on eachother and view eachother as friends as well. I feel like my older brother and I are also close to my parents. When we’re in the living room, it’s my older brother and I and my parents. My little brother is the only one that isn’t present and is in his room. It’s been this way for years since he was little. He just never joined us.
My older brother has moved out a couple of years ago and now has his own family with his kids. Now It is only my little brother an I at my parents’ house. I can go weeks without saying one word to my little brother or him saying one word to me. He won’t even share a glance. He won’t even share the same breath in the same room with me. I call my brother more of a roommate. I wouldn’t consider him as a friend and I’m sure he wouldn’t consider me and my older brother as his friends either.
From what my mom has heard from other people, I guess my little brother is very conversational and open with other people, anyone but us really. I’ve tried to talk to him over the years, but he’ll just have a straight face and say “okay” or “don’t worry about it”.
As I’m going to leave for my medical residency soon, I get kind of sad. I don’t think he’ll ever reach out to me while I’m gone. I wish we were closer. I wish he was closer to my parents. He just does his own thing. I don’t know. Should I just accept that things are this way?
TL;DR – My little brother isn’t close to me and my older brother and my parents. I guess he’s willing to talk to anyone else but us. it makes me sad that I basically have no relationship with him. Should I just accept this?