The longest relationship
The longest relationship
you'll ever have
is also the least studied.
Based on the research of McHale, Updegraff & Whiteman. Journal of Marriage and Family.
Before your best friend.
Before your partner.
Your sibling was already there.
They shared your childhood.
They were your first practice
at every relationship that followed.
Without knowing it,
they influence who you befriend,
who you love,
and even your success at work.
Karen Gail Lewis, PhD.
Sibling Therapy.
45% of adults
report serious difficulties with their sibling.
And yet, by old age,
your sibling is often the one
who stands by you.
A relationship this conflicted.
And this lasting.
And yet the most overlooked,
by research, and by us.
Insights from Jeanne Safer, Karen Gail Lewis,
and Victor Cicirelli.
Drifting away from your sibling.
Having conflicts when life gets hard.
All of it is normal. All of it is expected.
Staying connected in adulthood
takes conscious effort.
Not in the quantity.
In the quality of conversations.
Most of what matters
lives beneath the surface.
Are you honest enough
to say what you actually feel?
Are you curious enough
to see who they're becoming?
Curious to know more about siblings.
These might interest you.
How a sibling
relationship looks like.
How close you are to
your sibling across your lifetime.
Based on the research of Victor Cicirelli, PhD.
Purdue University.
A 15-minute game
to play with your sibling.
you're both doing these days.
Both on @seesaw.social
Most relationship advice skips siblings entirely. So we looked at how the longest relationship of your life changes across a lifetime.
Keep going
Still think you know me?
A conversation game to have with your sibling, beyond the usual catch-ups. Play it on the couch together or over a call if you're apart.
GAME · 10-15 MINS
The closeness curve
Siblings carry outdated versions of each other well into adulthood. Karen Gail Lewis calls them "frozen images."
READING · 4 MIN READ