Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine the 20yo would have any sort of relationship with the newborn. They’d be in college, or hopefully at least out of the house by then, and involved in their own lives.
It’s one of those “hapless 20-something in suddenly responsible for a young relative they hardly know” movies waiting to happen. You’ve got to consider that something may happen to one or both parents before the youngest is 18, and while the elder/eldest sibling(s) would be the logical guardians, they may not have much of a day-to-day relationship with the youngest.
It would take a concerted effort on everyone’s part to ensure the siblings are close. And even that will depend on individual personalities.
My family doesn’t have this gap but I do have a sister 17 years older. We’re pretty close (although probably more like aunt/niece than sisters) and when I was a kid she wasn’t expected to be my gaurdian — that would have been my Dad’s sister.