Q 21)
“Ira is almost always nice to Ned, although he hasn’t developed the thick skin his parents have for those occasions when Ned does something eccentric in public. Ira is easily embarrassed. He will take Ned to the movies or on an occasional outing, but usually only if asked. Even when they lived in the same house, they lived completely different lives. The only times I’ve ever seen Ira act like a traditional big brother is when someone outside the family is bothering Ned…
I wish I could say they were close. I wish I could say that Ira liked being around Ned as much as Ned would like to be around Ira. But it’s naive to expect that, and it would certainly be unfair to Ira to blame him for the fact that it hasn’t happened. In one way, I’m grateful that Ira doesn’t resent Ned any more than the occasional twinges I’ve seen during the past twenty years. We tried very hard to give Ira as much attention as Ned, but it was a different kind of attention, less focused, less intense. Fortunately, I think Ira has always been smart enough to realize that’s just the reality of the situation. He doesn’t take it personally.” pp 87-88
Does your loved one have sibling? How do they interact? Do you think Palmer has a realistic view of his son’s relationship?
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