I have a little bro who is eight-years-old and so annoying. When he does something wrong, he usually blames it on me and I get in trouble.
Lately, my mom keeps yelling at me for the smallest things and when my bro does something worse, she just forgives him and gets all mad at me.
Is it just because I'm older? What can I do to make it stop?
Hey girly,
I'm so sorry to hear that your bro is dampening your mood everyday. It's completely normal to have sib-problems and it's even harder when things don't turn out in all fairness. Of course, you shouldn't worry about it too much because you can definitely do something.
Talk it out with mom
Because your bro is younger, it will probably better to talk it out with mama. When she's in a good mood (and your brother isn't there to interrupt), ask her if you can have a talk with her. Tell her sincerely how you feel and what's been going on. Mention that this convo isn't meant to blame your bro or anything‚ it's more of a way for you to let out everything. Your mom cares for you and she'll listen to what you've got to say.
Straightfaced solution
The next step is to not respond to whatever your bro is doing. If he's annoying you by calling you names, making you get in trouble on purpose, etc., just don't respond to it. Your brother might have the tendency to annoy you more and more because he's amused by how you react to it. If you brush it off, he won't find a good reason to bug you.
Let it go
Another thing you should do? Vent it out. The more you get all that negative energy out of your system, the better and calmer you'll feel. Whether it's to another chica, your diary or your pillow, just let it all out. Tell yourself that you can't let your bro get to.
Quality bro time
Another thing to think about is...WHY is your bro annoying you like this? Maybe your mom got a new job and he feels like he's getting less attention lately. Try to set aside an hour or so a day, or maybe a block of time on the weekend, where you and your brother can hang. He's probably just lonely and since he loves ya, he wants to grab your attention any way you can (even if it's in a negative way!). So, sit down and watch a period of his fave sports team play, or join him for a silly (and totally friendly!) fake sword fight every once in a while. It'll all pay off in the end 
.
-Jean L.
GOT YOUR OWN FAMILY FEUD? CLICK HERE to submit your own problem to be answered on Girl Talk!
POSTED ON 3/6/2010 7:00:00 AM
POSTED IN sticky sibling sitches, 411 on family feuds