What Makes Siblings Not Close?

2. You Have Little In Common. Even if you are close in age, having little in common with a sibling can also keep you from having a close relationship. My brother and I have always been polar opposites, which makes crossing age boundaries more difficult.

Is it normal for siblings not to be close?

Karl Pillemer, PhD, a professor of human development at Cornell University, estimates 20 to 30 percent of siblings have a relationship that's "congenial but distant," like mine. "They may not be in contact that much, but there's no estrangement or conflict," says Pillemer.

What causes siblings to grow apart?

Sibling estrangement is an outgrowth of "drifting apart and taking different paths. The more painful (break-up) is when it comes out of a conflict or many conflicts," Kennedy-Moore said. Often cutting off the relationship arises when one sibling "finds it toxic to have that person in their life," Kennedy-Moore said.