The one tip that saved me from cutting off my brother for good

I used to call my brother every week just to vent about his bad choices, but it only made things worse between us. About 3 months ago I switched to sending him a short text every Saturday instead, no lectures, just a "hope you're good." Has anyone else tried limiting contact to short messages instead of long talks to keep a relationship going?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivanbell21d ago

Laughing at myself here because I tried the long talk approach with my sister for years and it just made me want to throw my phone out the window. Switched to random memes and a "thinking of you" every couple weeks and suddenly we can actually talk without me wanting to scream. My brother is the same way, he's got this talent for making terrible life choices that I can't control. The short texts are a godsend because I can say my piece without turning into a lecture machine. Honest to god, keeping it brief is the only reason I still have a relationship with him at all.

ross.lily21d agoMost Upvoted

Wait I used to be the opposite, I thought more words meant more caring but you're totally right. The low pressure approach actually makes them want to talk instead of feeling like they're getting a performance review.

beth27621d ago

Does that short approach ever backfire if they actually NEED a deeper talk?