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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To believe sis(12) over SD(11)?

335 replies

Bestofgoodluck · 13/02/2025 19:08

SD is 11, have been with her dad for 5 years, mum is not involved. DP has to go away often for work and I work from home so look after SD while he’s away. This is mostly been fine, she has the option of staying with grandparents but chooses to stay with me.

I also have a 12 year old sister, our mum has quite a few problems and as I am older, she has stayed with me on and off since she was a baby.

They are completely different but have settled into a friendly but probably not friends relationship and there has never any major problems between them. I have been looking after both a them for about a week. They go to different schools and do different activities so don’t see each other that much but when we’ve been together everything has been fine and they both have seemed happy.

Sister went back to our mums today and SD came to me in tears and showed me some extremely nasty and embarrassing messages sent from my sister to her last night, I comforted her and said I would talk to my sister, she cried for me not to and said just not to make her see her anymore.
Sister said she had no idea what I was talking about and that there were no messages on her phone, was asking what they said and why she would do that, I’m 99% sure I believe her. I was already thinking the wording and content of the messages didn’t seem like things my sister would say and more likely that SD sent them to her self.

I feel completely torn between the two of them and can’t see how I can sort this between them or know who is telling the truth.

AIBU to choose my sister over my stepdaughter? And to say SD has to go to her grandparents if DP is away and my sister wants to stay with me?

OP posts:
Dramatic · 13/02/2025 19:23

Bestofgoodluck · 13/02/2025 19:16

I assumed if SD has sent from my sisters phone she would have deleted them from there after doing so, she was adamant I didn’t talk to her about it. Or even if my sister had sent them she would have deleted them herself by now anyway so there’s not point in checking

Yes but you will be able to see what time they were sent by looking at SDs phone

MugsyBalonz · 13/02/2025 19:21

You need to approach it as a parenting issue and not automatically take one side over the other. They're 11 and 12, they're going to do dickhead things sometimes and it's your job as the adult to help navigate them through it.

The two girls have each given you a different version of events, therefore one of them isn't being truthful. Sit then down, tell them that this is their last opportunity to be honest about what has gone on and that person will only be in trouble for the messages, if that person doesn't tell the truth then from here on out they will be in trouble for the messages and for lying about it. Then check both of their phones in front of them, get to the bottom of it and issue an appropriate consequence.

Madamecholetsbonnet · 13/02/2025 19:20

Surely you can see if the messages are from your sister?

DaringLion · 13/02/2025 19:20

So have you seen the messages and were they from your sisters phone

KrisAkabusi · 13/02/2025 19:18

Bestofgoodluck · 13/02/2025 19:16

I assumed if SD has sent from my sisters phone she would have deleted them from there after doing so, she was adamant I didn’t talk to her about it. Or even if my sister had sent them she would have deleted them herself by now anyway so there’s not point in checking

FFS! If you're not even going to check, you're telling your sd that you think she's a liar. She might be, but I can't believe you're not even going to see if she's not. This is terrible parenting! What if she's not lying. You've now shown her that she can't go to you if there's a problem with your sister

Funykeudfh · 13/02/2025 19:16

You need to check both phones in front of both girls.

Bestofgoodluck · 13/02/2025 19:16

I assumed if SD has sent from my sisters phone she would have deleted them from there after doing so, she was adamant I didn’t talk to her about it. Or even if my sister had sent them she would have deleted them herself by now anyway so there’s not point in checking

OP posts:
YoungGunsHavingSomeFunCrazyLadiesKeepEmOnTheRun · 13/02/2025 19:13

Did she actually show you the messages, or was it screenshots?

Did they definitely come from your sisters phone?

Dramatic · 13/02/2025 19:12

Sent them to herself as in sent the messages from your sister's phone? It would be easy to check what time the messages were sent.

KrisAkabusi · 13/02/2025 19:09

Why can't you look at your sisters phone to check? From the wording you've just accepted her version without actually checking.