Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Lea says she and her sister didn’t talk for a year.
The 21-year-old puts it down to the age gap between them, and the differences in their upbringings.
Lea’s sister was born in Germany after their parents fled former Yugoslavia in the 1990s during the Yugoslav Wars. Lea was born seven years later in Australia.
"Living in Australia, there are so many more opportunities that you can be offered. And I think sometimes maybe my siblings saw those things as maybe I was getting more than them."
About a quarter of siblings can expect to experience estrangement at some point in their life – though it’s often not permanent.
To explore how sibling relationships can shape us throughout our lives, watch Insight episode Siblings on SBS On Demand.
Lea says she and her sister didn’t talk for a year.
The 21-year-old puts it down to the age gap between them, and the differences in their upbringings.
Lea’s sister was born in Germany after their parents fled former Yugoslavia in the 1990s during the Yugoslav Wars. Lea was born seven years later in Australia.
"Living in Australia, there are so many more opportunities that you can be offered. And I think sometimes maybe my siblings saw those things as maybe I was getting more than them."
About a quarter of siblings can expect to experience estrangement at some point in their life – though it’s often not permanent.
To explore how sibling relationships can shape us throughout our lives, watch Insight episode Siblings on SBS On Demand.
