Everyone should be fortunate enough to have a Vicky in their family. This is the sibling who just wants everyone to get along. My sister Vicky does not like conflict. She would rather do whatever it takes to work through relationship issues. Vicky is the person who does her best to make sure we all stay connected even in spite of the many differences we have with each other. She and my brother John are very close because they are similar in this aspect believing in the idea of family and togetherness. Vicky also contributed a significant amount of her personal time and energy in caring for my parents when they became older and needed care. Since my siblings were born mostly in the 1950’s the idea of family has changed over the past 50 years. Families are smaller, they have changed because of divorce, marriages etc. The relationships of siblings are different. These changes will affect relationships between parents and their children and the caregiving relationships of the future. I suspect it will result in the need for a greater degree of individual independence and self-reliance.
