Illness & Disability

Home Illness & Disability Living with an illness or disability Getting along with your brothers and sisters

Getting along with your brothers and sisters

Brothers and sisters can be your closest pals, but they can give you a hard time sometimes. Even though they can be a pain, your brothers and sisters love you and care about you. It is normal for them to have mixed emotions about your illness or disability. You can help your brothers and sisters by talking about their feelings and yours. It might be hard at first, but it can also bring you closer together.

Here are some helpful sibling strategies:

1. Think about their feelings. Let your sisters and brothers know that you are trying to see their side of things. It will help you to communicate or talk to one another better.
2. Tell the truth about how you feel. Talk to your brothers and sisters about your illness or disability to make them feel involved. The more they know, the less afraid they will feel. It can also make it easier for them to support you.
3. Ask them to visit you in the hospital or go with you to your doctor appointments. Your brothers and sisters might understand your illness or disability better if they hear what the doctor has to say. This can also help them feel like that can help you more.

Content last updated June 2, 2007

top