Besides the fact that I loved Sister Salty, Sister Sweet, I am interested in sibling relationships in general. I have a step-brother and sister from my mom's second marriage (which ended in divorce 15 years ago, and yet we still call each other brother and sisters), a step-sister from my dad's second marriage (one I have NO interest in getting to know, especially as that short-lived marriage is coming to an end), and a half-sister from my dad's second marriage (she's 3). Having no siblings in my life as a child, from birth, I at first find it hard to relate to those that do; however, I feel as though, even though they are not blood, or even legal, relatives, my step-brother and sister did a pretty good job of simulating the experience for me. Does anyone else have a remaining close relationship with a step-sibling after a marriage has ended? Also, depite the fact that I'm over 27 years older than my half-sister, she and I share a very strong bond. I know that this kind of sibling age gap is becoming less uncommon than it was in the past, so I guess I'm looking for advice on how to maintain that "sisterly bond" with her while she is being ripped apart by a nasty divorce (and her mother refuses to answer my phone calls or requests to spend time with her). Also, can anyone fathom why a parent would be so threatened by her child's older sibling being a part of her life? Is this unique to an adult/minor sibling relationship, or has anyone with closer-aged siblings experienced the same sort of jealousy/insecurity on the part of one (or both) of the parents? Anyway, hopefully this forum can be used to discuss potentially painful subjects like this, but can also help us network with other people who may be (or have been) in the same boat as we are. Write on, sisters! Let's create our own sisterhood (and brotherhood) here!