In this episode we talk about:

• About Emma’s family and brother with Autism and intellectual disabilities

• How Emma’s brother communicates and how they spend time together

• Growth vs limitations of our siblings

• Feeling like a 3rd parent subconsciously 

• Going to therapy and learning more about ourselves as individuals and how being a sibling colors that

• The internal pressure/obligation as a sibling and “being a good sister”

• Being with our siblings by ourselves vs our parents, care giving staff, logistics, etc

• Taking the time now to make the most of our “free-er” time 

• The sibling to sibling and parent to child relationships are separate and important

• Plug for The Sibling Leadership Network 

• We’re not the biggest fans of family gatherings

• Emma exercising her boundaries while still caring when it comes to her brother

• Suppressing our feelings while growing up

• Needing to feel like we need to help when it really wasn’t necessary

• Going to therapy!  And normalizing feelings

• Resources for the next generation of younger siblings

• Emma’s encouragement to fellow siblings

Links:

• Sibling Leadership Network (SLN) https://siblingleadership.org/

• Find out if there’s a state chapter where you live https://siblingleadership.org/about-the-sibling-leadership-network/state-chapters/

More Info:

• Check out the blog and contact Charlene here: https://thespecialneedssiblingpodcast.com/

• Get episode updates directly to your inbox: https://www.thespecialneedssiblingpodcast.com/newsletter

• Support the podcast on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thespecialneedssiblingpodcast

Music by:

• AlexGrohl from Pixabay

• QubeSounds from Pixabay