Creating sibling bonds

Do you see friends who are really close with their brothers or sisters and wonder what you can do to create such good friendships with your own. Sibling friendships and bonds often take a great deal of work to keep in a happy state, and other times come naturally and easily. Regardless of what the situation is for you, having a sibling to whom you are close can really benefit your life. Here are some tips for helping to create sibling bonds:

1. Shared experiences: Often the best way to bond with someone is to share something with them. Sometimes people who go through a terrible experience are bonded together and remain in touch their whole lives as a result. You do not need bad experiences to bond with siblings, but experiences in general. The more you share, the more your memories, and identities are intertwined.
2. Work together, play together: If you want strong bonds with your siblings, you need to have experiences on all ends of the spectrum. It is hard to really like someone when the only capacity you ever share with them is doing chores, etc. So, make sure that you spend time together doing fun things, as well as the normal, everyday, and even often difficult or challenging, tedious, or boring things. It helps you get to know people well, and figure out what it is about them that makes them tick.
3. Don't force it: No one is going to be forced into friendship. Siblings may not be the best matches, but if you try to hard a friendship and strong bonds are never going to happen. Let things occur naturally. The more you spend quality time together and have shared experiences, the easier it will be.
4. Find common ground: Sometimes siblings have a hard time being friends because they have such different interests. So, one helpful thing is to focus on the things you do have in common. You need to seek common ground, and make the most of it. If you both love a specific television show, make a point of watching it together. If you both love ice cream, start a ritual of eating it together and scooping about your day. The point is, if you have something in common, your bond can grow from there.
5. Be kind: Often in families we feel like we can do and say whatever we want because it is family. This can be to blame for your sibling relationships not being as close as you would like. Remember that just because they are family does not give you license to be rude, insensitive, or unkind. Instead, treat them as you would someone outside your family, you will find that it can greatly improve a relationship. There are times to be honest, but always treat your siblings with the respect you would treat a friend of someone unknown to you.