My brother is 12 years older than I am, and he let me live with him after college. He's more of a father figure than a sibling.

• I'm 12 years younger than my brother, and we've never been super close. • After the death of both of our parents, he became more of a father figure than a sibling. • We have different perspectives on life, but we do have some things in common.

My brother has always been there for me, yet we have never played much, hung out for too long, or fought like brothers do. Being a dozen years older, he's largely navigated his own way in life, and we've never been that close, at least not like typical siblings.

We lost our mother when I was 1, and we lost our father 14 years later. My brother's role in my life after the death of our parents became more like that of a guardian and father figure than a brother. It happened naturally, and we've never questioned or discussed it.

My brother beca