How do I get my little sister to talk to my mum instead of me?

Question

I am 15 years old and I have a younger sister who is 11 and will soon be turning 12. She seems to have an awful lot of question, and I don't mind her asking me for advice. But the thing is I might be older than her but I'm not much older, therefore I don't have much more experience than she does. So the other day I told her it would probably be better if she asked my mum, rather than me seeing as my mum is older and wiser and could give her a better answer. But she said she didn't want to talk to her because she found it weird talking to mum.

How can I get her to see that it is a better idea to talk to mum? Are there any other kids her age who find it hard to talk to mum, or dad for that matter? If so why?

Answer 1

Tell her exactly what you told us - "I would love to support you, and I don't mind you asking me for advice. But I'm not might much older than you, therefore I don't have much more experience than you do.  So I can only give you my best guess, not any real solid knowledgable advice."

Then offer a compromise - offer to ask your mom for her, as if the question came from you.  That way your sister isn't embarassed, and both you and her get the benefit of your mom's knowledge and experience.  Once she gets used to this, then encourage her to be present during the Q&A session, and then eventually encourage her to ask her own questions directly.

Many kids are reluctant to ask their parents about certain topics, out of concern that the parents won't understand, or will think they are weird, or will slap down rules instead of dispensing information.  You can show your sister by example that some parents are pretty approachable and understanding on most topics.

Answer 2

Why make her feel even more uncomfortable by forcing her to go to your mum. She is coming to you for a number of reasons...trust, support, she comfortable w/you, etc. If you force you or keep pushing the issue to go to your mum than she may not ask the questions she needs. So if you don't know the answer and you feel comfortable going to your mum, tell your sister "I don't know, can I get back to you on that?", then go ask your mum. Problem solved. Of course letting your mum know what is going on. This way you both get the correct information from your parent(s). I hope this helps?!

Answer 3

i don't know anyone Like that but i came up with an idea to have your little sister and your mum bond more. stay home let them go shopping together or other things like that. but i had another idea  you could bring up a confersation about it infront of your mum

Answer 4

why not tell your mum that ur sis needs advice, and encourage her to speak to ur sis first, so ur sis doesnt feel embarrassed about bringing a subject up.

Answer 5

I think it's normal for her to feel weird talking about these things with her mum. She finds it less embarassing to speak to you, thus why she asks you instead of mum. At that stage we're bound to have a lot of qustions and it can be hard bringing subjects such as Boys, s*x, Love and Relationships with your parents. I'm 18 and i still feel embarassed speaking to my mum about these things, even though she's the most open minded parent i've ever known! It's just something we as individuals have to get over. I think its a good idea to bring some subject she's curious about to the table when both your mum and she are around. She doesn't necessarily have to contribute herself if she doesnt want to, however, grasping what kind of reaction your mum will have to these type of questions may make her feel more comfortable to bring up such topics in the future! Good Luck! :-)