Stranger messages me about my no contact sibling

Throwaway account.

Without a whole novel of a back story, I have been fully no contact with my entire family for at least 5 years, and certain family members for even longer. Loads of different reasons, but homophobia toward my same-sex marriage is a huge one.

My brother, let's call him Bradley (m25), has been a challenging sibling since we were young. Lots of favoritism toward him. He also turned out homophobic and staunchly conservative, so I stopped my communication with him. Bradley barely finished a GED and has been in the military (as far as I'm aware) since.

I recently was sent a message through social media from a stranger with our last name. The message reveals that it is Bradley's wife and that she and Bradley are divorcing based on Bradley's decisions.

She also revealed that her and Bradley have one child (f1) together, and another due in a few weeks. She admitted that Bradley would be upset that she contacted me, but said that she thinks family is important and invited me to meet her child(ren) "when I'm ready".

I haven't responded. I'm not entirely sure that I want to. I have no real additional details or insight into who this stranger is, or what her motives are.

I do have a soft spot for children, but much of my family's history is using young children as collateral in adult conflicts. I'm not really interested in participating in this family drama, but I don't want to reject these children due to the situation they were born into.

Any advice is appreciated.

Posted Sep 21, 2026, 6:12 PM UTC

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