Thanks. That was really good advice.

My sister is an extremely emotional person, especially lately with her being pregnant, which also happened just 3 months after my dad died. She seems to break down in tears very easily, and as other brothers who only have one sibling and she's female, feel an obligation to protect his sister. It's tough. I don't think I should be a cause of tears. I find myself having to be stern and even argue to get through at all, but she has a lot on her plate right now juggling work, my dad's cleanup %#@&#!, and getting ready for their first kid. I also don't want to add to that plate. I am stuck trying to define boundries I guess.

I guess I REALLY need to start focusing on the gentleness you mentioned before we talk about it next. Perhaps that's where I'm going wrong with this approach. Perhaps brothers and sisters are just supposed to argue. It's in our nature. Who knows?

A side note. I get the feeling from her unconscious attitude of me not wanting to settle down with someone that she may be unhappy in her relationship and just won't admit it to herself. She has even been critical over how affectionate my girlfriend and I are, and how her and her husband aren't PDA people so they don't get it. Well, how is having an affectionate girlfriend hurting my happiness? Isn't that what someone who is my friend should be concerned about. I don't get it.