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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To end this ten year friendship over this (long sorry)

393 replies

catinboots · 17/02/2011 09:46

Sorry this is very long, but I need to give you some background about our friendship first. I met my friend at University when we were twenty. I was living with my boyfriend and our one year old son in our own flat. Friend was living in halls of residence and was a total party animal. She was totally wild and had a different bloke every night of the week!! I used to party with her when I got the chance but I lived a fairly dull life in comparison. I had to work and look after a baby as well as doing my degree. Despite the difference in our lives, we formed a really strong friendship. We were definitely best friends.

Fast forward about six years and I went through a very messy break-up with the boyfriend. She was very supportive, but had just met a new man herself and moved three hours away to be with him. Finding myself newly single I went a little bit crazy for about a year. I did a lot of silly things which I deeply regret now. I partied too much, I drank too much, I had too many boyfriends and I was a bad mum. I messed up my job and upset my family and friends. During this period my best friend kept her distance. At the same time I noticed she was changing - she was gradually becoming like a Stepford wife. Dinner parties and making chutney - not like the girl I first met ant uni!

Anyway, I subsequently sorted myself out, got back to reality and luckily met my DP. However, whenever I tried contacting her she was very offish with me. In the end I asked her outright what was wrong ? and she said that her DP didn?t approve of her being friends with me! I apologised for how I?d been behaving and told her how much I valued her friendship. Things had been okay since then and after a couple of years we seemed back to normal ? talking almost every day etc.

DP asked me to marry him last August and she was the first person I asked to be a bridesmaid. She?s been really helping with all the wedding planning and organising the hen and it?s been lovely! On Christmas Eve her DP proposed to her and she was over the moon. Naively I just presumed I would be a bridesmaid for her. She hadn?t mentioned it but I didn?t think anything of it until yesterday when she told me she was going to a wedding fayre. I asked who with and she said her mum, her sister and her two other best friends. It suddenly dawned on me that she isn?t going to ask me to be a bridesmaid. I rang her last night just chatting about wedding stuff and just slipped it in to conversation asking what she was doing about bridesmaids. She said I?m having my sister, the two other friends and one of DPs old friends. Then just started chatting about their dresses and didn?t even address the fact she wasn?t asking me.

I am so hurt and so upset. Not because I?m not being a bridesmaid ? but because our friendship obviously isn?t what I thought it was. I feel like an idiot now ? because I truly thought she was my best friend.
I don?t want to say anything to her because it?s up to her what she does at her wedding. But I feel uncomfortable now. It?s changed things and I don?t think I can just carry on planning my wedding with her as though everything is fine between us. I?m thinking the best thing to do is just cut her out altogether. No confrontation, no discussion. To be honest I don?t think she?ll be that bothered.

AIBU??????

OP posts:
Jacksmania · 06/03/2011 22:16

I hope it went well xx

AitchTwoOh · 07/03/2011 10:24

how did the phone call go, cat?

Needanewname · 07/03/2011 10:25

So what happened Cat?

JimmyChooChoo · 07/03/2011 17:18

Hi OP did you call your friend?Hope it went wellSmile

Beetroot · 08/03/2011 08:11

Hello, how did the phone call go with your friend. Are you feeling better now?

Animation · 08/03/2011 09:09

Well, I hope she DIDN'T phone her just because you nice people told het to. Some of you were pushing your boundaries there, and makes me wonder if you give advice like that in the real face to face world!?

JimmyChooChoo · 08/03/2011 09:47

Animation-OP was very frustrated,angry and upset.She needs to get this off her chest otherwise she'll make herself bitter.
What's wrong with her calling her friend?After all if they're real friends then they should be honest and open with each other.
So yes I would give advice like that in RL.

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 09:49

i definitely would, oh yes. i am very much of the 'stop moaning and take steps to sort it out' camp.

what was your advice, again, Animation?

Needanewname · 08/03/2011 10:01

Animation - so what would you have had her do? Continue to tie herself in knots with worry and anger and definitley lose a freind? Or maybe send the long and nasty email? Or the shorter and admitedly better email? (however emails/texts/facebook etc, we all know that they can be miscontstrued)

sodthehousework · 08/03/2011 10:04

Personally I don't feel you are being unreasonable. I was in kind of a similar situation - had a friend of quite a few years, considered her one of my best friends. Her OH was quite controlling and tended to get his own way. My wedding I asked her to be chief bridesmaid and she was pretty awful on the day - disappeared when it was time for photos to help her OH park his car (?) and my hen do (apart from the bit I organised) was rubbish. My other friends had to improvise some hen do activities to resurrect it and then she said she wanted to go home at 10pm because there was a delay getting in to the nightclub!! Then when I got pregnant she basically went a bit funny, I 'm not sure if this is because she would like to have kids and is not in the position to (her OH prefers his computer games I think and they live in a small place)but she showed no interest in my son when he arrived which peed me off somewhat. Her wedding came around and I wasn't even invited to the ceremony!! Just to the lunch afterwards and my son wasn't included (her choice of course). At my wedding her Mum and her brother and his wife came as I knew them well also. I felt really hurt by that. I didn't talk to her about it because I was really unimpressed and I have other friends I would rather spend my time with. Since then our friendship has just drifted really and now we don't really talk. I can't say I miss her either as if she is not interested in my son I can't say I am that interested in her.
Sorry this is so long and about what has happened to me - I wondered if it might help. Would it be useful to talk to her about it all? Unfortunately people can change over time and not always for the better. if your friendship is over there will be other people that will come into your life that will fill that gap left by your friend.
good luck with everything

Animation · 08/03/2011 10:16

Oi - you lot!! Don't start on me.

At the end of the day her decision is the RIGHT decision - whatever that may be. And we are not entitled to know!

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 10:27

Hmm no really, Animation, what was your advice for the OP?

Needanewname · 08/03/2011 10:30

Its not about anyone starting on you animation.

OP said she was going to call her friend, people asked how the call went and you jumped in and questioned what advice people give in real life. I'm asking what advise would you give - on here or real life.

Animation · 08/03/2011 10:45

Aitch - not relevent.

Needanewname - She was clearly under duress to call her friend.

I suspect you guys wouldn't be so pushy in real life with your advice giving - face to face!

That's all I want to say.

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 10:50

you are talking shite.

that is all i want to say. (and i would say it face to face. Grin)

shmoz · 08/03/2011 10:55

I don't reckon she's had the bollox to ring her..IMO

Animation · 08/03/2011 10:57

Aitch - nah nah nah nah naah - wee wee poo poo!

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 10:59

that's some gear change from pomposity to puerility, well done.

your advice to the OP?

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 11:01

i suspect you may be right, shmoz, hence the radio silence.

Needanewname · 08/03/2011 11:07

WTF?

Animation · 08/03/2011 11:07

Aitch - you're a thug.

AitchTwoOh · 08/03/2011 11:08

lol. you are silly. Grin

Needanewname · 08/03/2011 11:10

Why is Aitch a thug? She asked a simple question - what would your advise be? You still haven;t answered

Needanewname · 08/03/2011 11:14

She was not under duress to call her friend.

She came on here asking for advise on hwo to handle her feelings. She obvioulsy wanted and needed to do something. Most people told her that sending that email would be a very bad idea and that she should call her friend.

That is exactly the advice I would give to a friend in real life, except I wouldn;t have been as nice, I would have said grow up and stop pissing about wiht bloody emails and texts (don;t even go there with facebook) If you want answers phone her, don;t keep bloody going on about it unless you are going to do something about it.

That last bit would be after 3 weeks of going on about it!

solooovely · 08/03/2011 12:01

Woah this is complicated!

Just wanted to say the I understand you being upset about the BM thing. I would be too.

Can't help but think you expect a bit much of her though. You seem to be expecting her to keep calling you and emailing etc, but she has her own life. I had a friend who sounds a lot like you in that she always expects a lot of people and never thinks to herself "oh they probably didn't call this week because they were busy" instead she'll think "no they won't be busy (coming up with reason she is sure of this) they are being a crap friend or horrible to me". Because of this we are no longer friends and she has isn't able to keep friends for longer then a few months.

Really sorry to hear about your mum, I have experience of this so know how it can turn your life upside down. I also know how easy it is to deflect your feelings about that onto other things.