Sibling Dynamics

When I started dating my future husband, everything changed with his brother.

I knew my brother-in-law for a few years before I got to know my husband Michael. David was this funny guy my sister worked with. I looked forward to saying hello to him every time I stopped by their office. When his brother and I started to date, I thought it could only get better. My sister and David were good friends; we could all be amazing siblings. It
sounded so perfect.

I soon discovered that dynamics change in a group of people when one relationship changes. Our siblings were not thrilled when we started to date, and each warned their respective sibling about the other’s commitment issues. I have no doubt that they were protecting us, but they also admitted later that they were worried about what this meant for their own friendship. If Michael and I had a messy break-up, how would it affect our siblings? That never even crossed my mind.

A year later, things are back on track and we are all finding a new way to be a friendly family. My sister and future brother-in-law are now excited when they see each other at family functions, and David even said that my relationship with his brother has provided endless entertainment when he gets together with my sister—apparently they do a dead-on imitation of the two of us. It just goes to show that siblings never really change.