What You’ll Discover About Understanding Sibling Relationships in Midlife With Catherine Carr
- Why it’s important to understand sibling relationship issues in midlife.
- Why sibling relationships are potentially the longest relationship of our lives (up to 90 years) and what that can mean for you.
- Why starting the Relatively podcast about siblings was partly a midlife move for my guest.
- Why sibling relationships are often described like an egg timer.
- How midlife pulls siblings back together through aging parents, care, illness, and inheritance.
- How reverting to childhood roles (the “baby,” the “responsible one”) can make this a major flashpoint for estrangement, which affects approximately 28% of people.
- Why the child without additional needs is referred to as the “glass sibling”; they are looked through to see the sibling who has additional needs, asked to give more and want less.
- Why sibling bereavement is often overlooked and why it can be a problem.
- Why having shared memory as siblings is both precious and unreliable.
- How the eldest daughter syndrome shows up, as birth order interacts with gender, culture, and family circumstances
- How labels like the good one, the scapegoat, the golden child, and the invisible child can stunt people well into adulthood.
- Why we treat siblings as a special category, so we tolerate bad behavior and don’t foster the relationship the way we do friendships.
- Why only children tend to be good at intentional friendships.
- How the unique structure of the Relatively podcast, interviewing siblings separately, then together, is powerful because guests hear appreciation from each other that they had never expressed.
- Why my guest’s best advice for midlife women is to invest in the relationship away from the family home (like book a weekend away, or start a new tradition) and get to know each other in a friend-style way.
Welcome to another episode of the Women in the Middle® Podcast!
Today we’re talking about why our sibling relationships might be the longest and least understood relationships of our lives and why that’s so important.
My guest today is Catherine Carr, an award-winning documentary maker, presenter, and podcast producer with over twenty years in audio, including work for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service through her own company, Pocket Productions. She’s the middle child of three, which led her to create the podcast Relatively, dedicated to sibling relationships.
Her first book, Who’s the Favorite?, argues that our brothers and sisters shape us as much as our parents do. Sibling relationships often outlast every other bond in our lives, yet we rarely talk about them beyond childhood squabbles.
Drawing on over seventy sibling interviews from her podcast, along with psychology research and pop culture, Catherine explores the roles we get assigned, the friendships and rivalries, the shared history, and the estrangements, and makes the case for building stronger relationships with our siblings going forward.
This episode is easy to relate to, so please enjoy this interview!
Featured in this Episode
Connect with Catherine Carr
- Who’s The Favorite? The Loving, Messy Realities of Sibling Relationships
- https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Favorite-Realities-Sibling-Relationships/dp/0063436914
- Relatively – About Siblings Podcast
- Website: https://www.relativelypodcast.com/
- Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/relatively/id1544111718?i=1000769069186
Connect with Suzy
Follow Suzy on Substack: https://substack.com/@womeninthemiddle
Midlife Doodle-Think™ Club: Slow down with Zentangle-inspired doodling. As a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT), I invite you to slow down and create a space to think. Doodle-Think™ is about a simple, mindful doodling practice for midlife women who want more presence, clarity and confidence; no art skills or creative talent required! Join here! www.doodlethink.com
Next Chapter Direction Session Free: Next Chapter Direction Session: A Private 50-Minute Conversation to Help You Get Clear on What You Want Now. If something in your life feels a little off, unclear, or out of sync…this is where you figure out what’s really going on and what you want to do about it. session, This insightful session is designed to help you see where you may be getting in your own way and how I might be able to help you turn the page on your next chapter! Book Now www.talktosuzy.com
Midlife QUIZ: You’re also invited to take the free “Next Chapter Midlife Quiz” to discover if your next chapter is trying to get your attention! It only takes about 90 seconds! You can start the quiz here: www.midlifequiz.com.
Work with Me: Group Coaching Women in the Middle Academy: Learn to start living like time matters…because it does! The Academy helps you do this in a 12 month group format that includes coaching, community, creativity and connection. Get unstuck and create your happiness blueprint for your future! Apply now: www.womeninthemiddleacademy.com and book your free call to learn how I can help you find what’s missing so that you love your life after 50.
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Masterclass: Get Unstuck: Midlife Clarity Fast &Easy: Take this fun DIY midlife masterclass and get clear about your next chapter priorities without spin, confusion and overwhelm in less than an hour!www.midliferoadmap.com
Download Suzy’s eBook: 50 Ways to Celebrate Life after 50: Get unstuck, avoid regrets, and live your best life: www.50waystocelebrate.com and Amazon
OTHER RESOURCES:
- Free Resources
- Free Monthly Webinars and Workshops offered by Suzy Rosenstein: https://suzyrosenstein.com/webinar/
- Email your feedback: info@suzyrosenstein.com
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