So the title says it all, but let me give you a short rundown of what has been going on.
My parents are divorced and have been for 15 years now. They live relatively close to each other to make life for us more doable. They succeeded. But my mother and little brother had a falling out over stuff happening at school and with the authorities. (You know boys, they mess things up from time to time.)
So my brother just up and left to live with my dad. He was 16 at the time. My mother was heartbroken and had a very tough time doing anything for a while. We talked a lot and to me it seemed like the incident that caused the divide was rather minor and not deserving of such hefty repercussions. I myself had done this to my father when I was about 16 years old also about something relatively minor in hindsight.
But years have gone by and my father has, as far as I could see, been working toward getting my mother and brother's relationship back on track but to no avail.
None of us are experts in parental relationships but it seems like something has gone very very wrong here.
My interpretation has always been that my little brother made a split second decision based on an option he shouldn't have had in the first place and is afraid of going back on it. My fear is that the situation has been going on too long and things have settled in too much to really repair what has been done. (as I have been able to do with my father.)
And that as my little brother goes off to college this year he and my mother won't be able to reconnect, ever.
So my question to you is, what could I do to help?
My brother and I don't seem to really sync up on a mental level and he doesn't take advice very well. (He often feels assaulted) So being the typical older brother with advice hasn't worked out for me so well in the past.
Thanks a lot for reading my struggles, and if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them!