I'm getting kind of tired of people insisting to say "half-siblings" instead of just "siblings"

[atomsk eater]

I've actually never had anyone really care to correct me. Didn't even think of my sister and I as half-sisters until I was like 12 despite always knowing we had different fathers, and that lasted for like 5 minutes before I stopped caring.

If someone tried to correct me about it (assuming an attitude here), I'd just say "half-siblings are siblings" and leave it at that. It's fine if people are just curious or want to know more about the family tree but if someone's trying to say the familial connection is lesser or something they can take a hike.

 

[Mr X]

Funny this thread popped up for me today. Have 2 siblings, me and my brother have different fathers me and my sister have different mothers. I grew up with my brother and my sister was given up for adoption by my dad when I was about 5 years old (both of my siblings are about 6 years older than me).

Never really refer to them as half siblings, but I hadn't had any contact with my sister until yesterday when I worked up the nerve to send her a note just to touch base and maybe foster a relationship with her. I do still consider her my sister even though we really have no relationship. I know my dad tried in the recent past, but she never responded to him.

 

[themoralcenter]

on a joking note i've got 2 halflings myself... but in real talk they are for all things considered i call them my brother and sister. fam is fam

 

[AnotherNils]

For humors sake I refer to my sisters significant other as my "half-brother in common law"

that's probably give you a strike op.

 

[Tetrinski]

It's super weird that people correct you on your relationships to your own siblings... That seems so rude. Who would do that? That's your relationship to describe, not theirs.

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People have corrected me about my nationality and mother language.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

People have corrected me about my nationality and mother language.

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That's outrageous to me... I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[Einchy]

Wtf? Yes there are tons of connotations. It's people using it as a way to justify you being "less of family". It even sounds like that's what you're doing now.

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I don't know about other countries but in America I've honestly never seen any negative connotations with being a half sibling.

The only thing I can think of is if there's someone that's SUPER against divorce and remarrying or something but I've honestly never seen anything like it.

 

[MercySeverity]

I have 1 brother and 3 half-brothers. I grew up w/ my brother (he is 4 years younger than me). My 3 half-brothers are 18+ years younger than me. I hardly have interacted w/ them. It's probably more a reflection on my relationship w/ my father (who left and had another family) than the kids. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the 3 of them or anything like that. Now that I think about it, my brother does refer to them as our brothers. Oh well, the point is I never found it weird to refer to them as half-brothers.

 

[Poltergust]

I actually learned only a few years ago that my big sister is my half-sister.

Doesn't matter to me. She's still my sister anyways.

 

[finalflame]

Why does it matter?

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Just a matter of fact.

 

[pewpewtora]

Yeah well I have a half-sibling that was born due to my father's infidelity and while I have nothing against her I'm not a fan of my dad and her mother. Plus she's 3 years old and I'm 22, so we're not really gonna be all that close. So yeah I prefer "half-siblings". I've only seen her like two times since she was born

 

[Deleted member 1478]

I have 2 half siblings. I tend to just refer to them as my dad's other kids though.

 

[ΑGITΩ]

I refer to my half siblings as half siblings.
My older brother and i were raised by our mom. Our father divorced our mother when i was 2, remarried and had 2 more kids with his other wife. We weren't raised together so there wasn't any real sibling bonding.

 

[EddyLovesTunaRolls]

I had cousins that are like this. All the older siblings were 15-20 years older than the youngest girl. They were also all from the same woman.

They made it a point to say she wasn't their sister. Just their half-sister because they didn't like that the dad wasn't with their mother anymore and that was their way of taking it out on the little one who never did anything to them.

I don't know if they're all still like that but I wouldn't be shocked if they are. I stopped hanging out with them because that whole side of the family is a lot of drama I don't need in my life.

 

[blackhawk163]

I agree OP, my lil brother has a different father, and well, hes my brother. What needs to die is Bonus brother/sister/mother/father Fuck that shit, that blended family wasn't won in some sort of contest or what have you. /r

 

[sangreal]

I call my half-brother a half-brother but he is like 20 years older than me and grew up/lives in a different country and I've met him maybe 5 times. I'm sure if we grew up together I wouldn't make the distinction

 

[Deleted member 45614]

People like to correct shit for some reason, I have an older brother and three younger brothers on my fathers side and a younger brother and sister on my mums. I generally just call them my brothers and sisters (although only really have a super close relationship shop with my older sister and mums children.)

People always get confused because I have curly hair and build to my mums other children but that's to do with being mixed which people also deny I'm mixed because I'm too white buts that a whole other thing that people get incorrectly pedantic about.

 

[vypek]

I always say half-siblings. Of the three I have, I met one of them twice and the others I have seen once in my life. I don't really know them and always call them half-siblings cause of that. Hell, sometimes I forget I have them and don't even say the right number of siblings if someone asks me

 

[Sean]

I refer to mine as half-siblings because it's a little complicated and we didn't grow up together.

My dad was married 3 times, had a boy/girl pair each time. So I have two pairs that are about 18-20 years older than me. Then a full sister 3 years younger than me.

Also, apparently, a half-sister that's about 2 months younger than me.

I wouldn't correct anyone on their own though.

 

[Deleted member 41502]

My mom died when I was 30. Dad remarried 5 or 6 years later. They tried to blend the two families together for awhile, and... it's weird at this age. I just really don't care much about them. Happy for my dad and everything. His new wife is great. But I don't need more siblings.

I know that has nothing to do with the op.

 

[ghostemoji]

People find it a little less weird that I hardly ever talk to or see my brother when the half-brother context is added, so I'll keep doing it.

 

[MrMegaPhoenix]

I have half brothers, so I will refer to themselves as half brothers. Same as my step sister. They will never be full, so I won't refer to them as full.

But you do you, aslong as you know it could confuse some people

 

[Golden]

I have a very unorthodox family. My brother has a different father, and my two sisters, have a different mother. Still, I grew up with all of them in the same house. Everyone in my family just said "your sisters and brother", but then I got older and people started correcting me and saying "oh, so they're like your half-siblings?".

Even now, I'm watching Big Little Lies, and they insist on saying "she's her half-sister". I understand that it's there for expository reasons, but I just hate how negative it sounds.

My siblings are my siblings. There's nothing "half" about them.

End of rant.

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Obviously you should feel free to call them what you like, but I don't think it is unreasonable for others to use the correct term.