Why Does My Brother Not Care About Me?

Relationships between siblings are supposed to be the best of friends, or so we think. Some siblings have a strong bond from a young age to adulthood. At the same time, some can’t seem to keep the bond strong. It’s healthy to have sibling rivalry, but at times, it can be too much to the point of making you feel like he doesn’t care about you.

Sometimes siblings can get along well and have some miss understanding along the way that may translate to the wrong one like their brother or sister doesn’t care. Your brother may have said or done some things that make you feel like he doesn’t care for you. He may have done knowingly or unknowingly, and there are reasons behind his actions. Read on to understand why he is uncaring and how you can learn to ignore or cope with it.

Age Difference

If you have a significant age difference, like five years or more, your elder sibling will not relate with you as you would like to.  If he is older, much older than you, he cannot connect with your needs well. Maybe you are in your teen years, and he may be over twenty and above. He may not understand what you are going through, even though he did pass that age. 

Favoritism

If your brother happens to be your parent’s favorite, he may tend to think he has the upper hand over you. When parents favor one child over the other, it creates tension between siblings, and the favorite one can develop a habit of picking on the other. Maybe your brother does things around the house and tells your parents you did to get some scolding. When it becomes a habit, your brother may seem less caring because he wants to see you hurt. If you can’t talk to your sibling or do anything without feeling judged, then something is missing.

Different Personalities

You can be close in age, probably one year apart, and grew up doing many things together and had a set of familiar friends. As you grow older, you start noticing changes, and the sweet and caring brother you knew is no longer there. Children do a lot together, but as siblings grow, each one follows a different path. You and your brother aren’t unique. Once you hit the teenagers, you start doing various things that resonate with you. He may get carried in new adventures that interest him, and it may feel like he doesn’t care.

Do you have different hobbies? Siblings need to support each other in various activities, but that does not mean you have to share the same hobbies. Probably you enjoy talking about the new baking techniques you accrued lately, but he has no interest in it. He can seem uncaring because he doesn’t acknowledge your efforts in your hobbies, but the reality is he wants to focus on his.

You Live Apart

Suppose your brother happened to move out to attend college or relocated to work a little bit far from home. He is likely to forget some things that were important to both of you. They may be very busy and forget to wish and send some gifts for your birthday. You may be anticipating them on your graduation, and they get caught up and not make it. Communication will also decrease. He will be busy making new friends and settling down. As small as they seem, they are an important essential of your life that you would want to share with him, and when he misses you in your eyes, he looks like he doesn’t care.

He Is Selfish

Some siblings are plain selfish. He can’t step up for you when a need arises, even if he is in a position to assist. His sweet talks you over when he needs your help but will never help you, and when you try to request something, he gets very rude. A selfish person will only care about their needs over anyone, even their sibling.

You can talk to your brother about how you feel and see if he can change. If he is someone you can’t be open to, you may like to involve your parents. He may seem not to care about their actions, but he probably does and needs some, and he will come around.