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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To keep this a massive secret

297 replies

Gymboree567 · 04/08/2016 19:39

I've got no friends
There I said it! I never tell anyone, my family, people at work, I feel like it's more embarrassing than a really embarrassing illness!
If I had to make a choice I'd rather tell people about the time I had an anal fissure than admit to having no friends
It's always used as an insult, "billy no mates" "got no friends"

Is it that embarrassing? Should I be keeping it a secret?
If you have friends, do you think it's really weird?

OP posts:
Sunshineonacloudyday · 04/08/2016 21:51

Have you ever asked people to meet up for a coffee or a drink?

What are you good at?

What are your hobbies?

Try and meet like minded people like you. Maybe the people you have met so far are to immature for you. To block you on fb is very immature like you wanted to go on there shitty night out anyway, boring. Your colleague sounds deluded. You have nothing to prove to them people at work. You will find someone you click with one day but you need to figure out what kind of friend you are looking for.

roseteapot101 · 04/08/2016 21:59

dito i cant understand peoples tone of voice and have limited understanding of human behaviour this makes me unable to communicate fluidly. I generally wish i could be helpful i love to give but in truth due to misunderstanding i just unintentionally insult people

whats worst i dont understand how i did it =/

Sunshineonacloudyday · 04/08/2016 22:00

I have always been scared to ask people out for a coffee etc. I have been asked out on a couple of occasions and have accepted there offer. I have never had the courage to do it myself. I have felt like people have unfairly judged me without knowing me. I remember once talking to a woman at the bus stop we both chatted got on the same bus and same bus stop and she just walked off. When I see her next she wont even get a hello out of me and I have baby sat her children. I can't stand it when people use me.

annielostit · 04/08/2016 22:00

Friends aren't a look ways all they're cracked up to be.
My "best fiend" told my exH all my secrets after he had an affair.
Im such a nice friend, I forgot to tell her that her dh, asked me to have a relationship, I declined his kind offer.
.I've not got friends now, only people I know.

PrimalLass · 04/08/2016 22:02

Mine all keep moving away. I am trying to not take it personally.

Sunshineonacloudyday · 04/08/2016 22:05

roseteapot101 it could be your level and in some ways you don't agree with or understand there behaviour. That doesn't make you a bad person at least you speak your mind.

Notso · 04/08/2016 22:05

I've got loads of people I know but no proper friends. I hate it, I get so lonely.

GrouchyKiwi · 04/08/2016 22:18

Mine too, Primal. Or, like me, they have small children and can't go out.

I've stopped trying to do things with friends for my birthday because people just don't come.

OP I think it's very difficult as an adult to make friends and I don't think you should be embarrassed. I do think your DH is a bit of an arse about it, though.

poshme · 04/08/2016 22:22

I just want to say- this could have been me 3 years ago, and then I met my best friend. Through DD3, totally unexpectedly. I was very very brave and said 'do you want to come for coffee' (v unlike me) and we just clicked.
She has recently moved away, but is still my best friend.

So please- don't give up hope! I had aquaintences, but no friends, and now I have 1!
But... I had to be brave, and it was not the first time.

roseteapot101 · 04/08/2016 22:24

i am pretty open minded ,I am happy to talk to anyone if they treat others with kindness

but i have trouble reading behaviour it just feels like i am coming up blank its like i hear their voice but i dont understand

i know the meaning of the words but cant pick up on things emotions that i dont have names for

i suspect its due to brain damage i experienced early in my life but thing is i wouldn't know as this just the way its always been

although i wish i could help people and show people kindness i have just come to accept i am just a very incompatible person

Helloitsme88 · 04/08/2016 22:25

I have 2 very close friends. One who lives abroad so we don't see each other often. My time is usually taken up with kids, work, kids, husband, sleepless nights and kids. It's pretty norm. I haven't the energy to keep up with everyone I've met in my life (5 cities in 5 years) but I'm content

PlymouthMaid1 · 04/08/2016 22:39

I only ever seemed to have one close friend at each stage of life and now only really have acquaintances and co!leagues to see regularly as the real friends moved away over the years.sometimes I miss having a friend to visit and natter with but there seems so little time for that around work and family. I would like another friend or two one day when I retire and can potter about with them. It is a shame that there is su ch a stigma around admittiing our friendless state. If I won a holiday I would probably have to take my dog ☺

Heatherplant · 04/08/2016 22:40

I have three friends. I see them individually, never as a group. I used to get embarrassed/upset about not having a 'group of girls' so to speak but now accept what I do have is a blessing. I have also come to accept I am likely to have some form of ASD and am debating on getting a diagnosis. Only advice I can give is that giving up on finding friends is the way forward. I gave up then met 3 people, (a neighbour/someone on a course / a former work mate) totally at random who I now consider good friends.

igotnotimeforthis · 04/08/2016 22:52

I'm in early 30s SAHM atm, no friends either.
Well it's not true actually i do have about 3-4 friends but they all live in other countries and even though we keep in touch via email and messenger etc it's not the same.

I really miss having a real life person to sometimes go for coffee with or shopping or someone that will occasionally just drop by.
I'm always mesmerised by those threads were people complain about friends dropping in unannounced - I actually wish it would happen to me!

Today a woman in the queue at the shop turned around and commented on my DS and we chatted for 1min as she has DC same age. In my head i was already picturing having some cake and tea together and becoming friends etc. So pathetic.
Of course she paid for her shopping and left.
I'm too shy or scared of rejection to say anything else of course, and i think it would have been odd and sounded desperate.

I'm shy but I think (been told) that I initially come across as a bit stuck up and unfriendly.
I'm working on that but sometimes use it as a defense mechanism - don't need anyone anyway!

OhMrBadger · 04/08/2016 22:55

I have a small number of friends but have never had a 'group of girlfriends' as such (except maybe at uni). On the whole, I cannot be faffed with the whole group dynamic thing and much prefer one to one situations, but I do feel a pang whenever anyone else mentions their 'girlfriends'.

It gets to me during school holidays when I feel everybody else is off meeting up with their friends and children, and I'm generally just alone with the DCs. We were at an activity centre today and I was watching groups of mums all sat together and it made me feel a bit sad. But then I thought that if someone I knew came over to chat, I'd probably be annoyed that they'd interrupted my peace and quiet!

OnceThereWasThisGirlWho · 04/08/2016 23:10

On the whole, I cannot be faffed with the whole group dynamic thing and much prefer one to one situations

It would be great to have a group of female friends who were all the type to dislike group dynamics Grin... no silly games, just straightforward enjoying each others' company.

Having had many male friends interested in politics and social justice issues, I would also like women I can discuss these things with without being manspalined or lectured to especially about feminism.

1Catherine1 · 04/08/2016 23:27

I've never had many "friends". Through school I had acquaintances but I was always the back up choice. Then at college I thought I had a great friend and when she needed help I lent her a large sum of money (for a 17 year old) and the friendship ended badly soon after. I became disillusioned at that point and haven't got so attached since. Then at uni I met a girl who I bonded with over the strangest ever coincidence and we were good friends for years, she was the only friend invited to my wedding. However, I saw her recently (I went to her again) and realised I had very little to say to her anymore.

I suppose I would say I have 1 good friend now. An ex-work colleague, I guess it happened because we were both in the same boat. Both quite isolated (apart from some immediate family) in an area where we weren't from. We meet up for lunch every other month. We text more frequently, sometimes we exchange messages regarding our profession, other times, just to check up on each other.

The thing is though, it doesn't bother me that much. I see a good acquaintance of mine with all her many friends (which she counts me among them) and briefly I am jealous of her natural ability to make friends and socialise easily and be loved by all despite her obvious faults. I admire this about her. However, she is busy meeting up with different people every day, she hosts "play-dates" at least twice a week and is totally booked up with friends (split up into morning, afternoon and evening sometimes!), her house is constantly immaculate and ready to receive the next lot of guests. I see the effort she puts into maintaining these relationships and I simply don't have the time, patience or desire to do it.

My point being, that it depends how hard you are willing to work and how busy you are. I could have befriended some of the other mum's while on maternity leave, it would only have taken inviting them over for play dates, and out to places, having conversations and such. We managed to make facebook friends anyway. The thing is, I didn't really want to. I don't like people in my house, it's untidy and I dislike tidying. It's not dirty but it's too small for the amount of stuff we have and the fact I really should put things away, but I don't want to. (Perhaps your honesty is making me too honest)

Good luck with it. I'm not one who can give any real advice on this. I am happy with my situation because I can dip my toe in the water with my social friend when I want to give that world a go, but otherwise, I really like my close knit world that is my family.

TheWindInThePillows · 04/08/2016 23:44

Your husband is really holding you back friend-wise, because he has got friends, he's just not prepared to share them or let you come along, or do something as a family. A lot of my good friends now are family friends who might have started out as my husband's friend originally (or vice versaI, but over the last decade, we've had enough bbqs and things together for me to get to know them or for him to befriend the husband. These are also the friends I would call in a crisis as I know they would help out any member of the family, not just me, say if the children needed suddenly looking after. It does sound like you don't want to challenge him about it, but the popular people I know with big friendship circles have friends that include husband/families from time to time. I find it odd you have only met one of them in 15 years, that's actually highly avoidant on his part. Do you ever socialize as a family?

I'm not a big fan of FB and would never have 400 'friends' even though I'm reasonably popular- I've found that having big groups of friends usually doesn't work for me. know you've culled them now, but it takes time and energy to keep up a profile and interact on FB, that energy could be spent asking a friendly mum from somewhere if they want to meet up.

I also think if you have the attitude you'll never chase them or ask, you will be friendless! I have had friends who are crap at maintaining contact, but do really appreciate the friendship. If you only want friends that will chase after you, you'll have fewer. Lots of people are quite shy/find it hard to ask, so just by the law of averages, if you ask a lot you meet more people. Obviously if they never reciprocate ever or seem uninterested, move on, but I've gone through phases of being resentful about this- but now am having a time when I need my friends, and I'm glad I have a good lot of people to call on in a time of crisis, even if we did have times of being very busy/little kids where we were really not in touch so much.

I just think some of the things on here about friends gossiping, being private etc, don't really do justice to what a good friend can bring in terms of support and fun and just someone caring what you do with your life.

My mum has made a lot of good friends later in life, as people do end up alone, widowed, move away, especially in groups like choirs, walking groups, MeetUp, WI, church, hobby groups and so forth. There's lots of people who would like to be friends if you want to find them. Our generation is less group oriented and has tended to very much pick and choose who it likes (so not just having friends from the local church whoever they are) and the danger then is that this falls apart quite easily when you move away/life changes. It feels more intrusive to keep asking someone over for a coffee at your house rather than going to say a choir and then having a night out based on that. Could that be a possibility?

36mum · 04/08/2016 23:52

Friendships can be overrated, all that time and effort in and just problems back. You have nobody to impress or keep up with. God you must be chilled

MamaBear98 · 05/08/2016 00:07

Unfortunately I don't really have many friends so I know what ye're all going through Sad

I've lots of people I get on with and could talk to but I only have one proper kinda person to talk to who really agitates me a lot of the time I'm still in school with two years to go so unfortunately end up spending lots of time around people who are friendly with each other whilst I look on Sad
Unfortunately I'm just really bad at making/keeping friends and always seem to end up with the not-so-popular people

I'm just very lucky that I've an amazing immediate family who are always there for me.

EverySongbirdSays · 05/08/2016 00:08

Once

Oh - Amen.

My politics type friends tend to be male and most women I know actively avoid it and do the twirly haired "oh but I'm a girl" thing.

A group of us had a weekend away once and two of the three of us women were gushing over certain brands (jewellery and clothing) and the 2 present DHs were like "Women....eh?" whereas I couldn't care less.

I have also been told (by a man) that I am very "male" in my conversation because I'm very direct and I say exactly what I mean without dressing it up, demurring, or being passive aggressive.

I don't do well in "girly groups" and have no interest in brands, shoes or handbags and would much rather talk about Film, TV and Books, Politics, Philosophy. I obviously know other women who do too, particularly on here, but it doesn't seem to happen in group dynamics were I'm expected to give a fuck about Pandora, Joules and with inexplicable frequency, Disney Hmm

Hadenoughoftumble · 05/08/2016 10:16

I've always had a 'best' friend but because I'm very socially awkward these friendships have been borne out of spending time with each other through circumstance (I.e school, sharing the same office etc). Now that I'm a sahm I'm very lonely. I have a couple of friends but they all have their 'main' friendship group and I'm like a side friend who they see every so often. I have one very lovely friend who is very popular and always making new friends because people instantly warm to her. So seeing her is quite difficult because she is very busy and has a lot of friends.

At one point my best friend from school and I got back in touch and were very close and then she got together with my brother! It was so lovely spending a lot of time together (cinema, takeaways, caravan holidays etc) and they got engaged. I was so happy thinking I'd have a best friend set for life! But the relationship broke up and I was devastated. I still see her but it's not the same.

At the moment I'm trying to accept that I may not have a very close friend for the rest of my life and that makes me really sad.

Gymboree567 · 05/08/2016 10:53

I do initiate the friendships I have had, I do the asking out and the chasing but it just fizzles out after a few months
I dunno, friendships always end up with me getting hurt so maybe that's why I give up
I'm bored today, no work, husbands at work, teenagers yet to get up

But all these people who have commented saying you have no friends where are you all hiding, I look around my family, colleagues, neighbours, they all seem to have friends buzzing around them, where are all the lonely people!!

OP posts:
Gymboree567 · 05/08/2016 10:58

When ever I met someone new I'm straight away thinking, "friend potential" "maybe they are lonely too" but then it turns out they have loads of friends I can sometimes tag along for a bit if I'm lucky but then get left at the wayside, it seems everyone's already set up with enough friends
I just need to find someone else in a similar position who I get along with, maybe fate will bring us together one day!!

Oh well I'm off to hoover the car, fun times ;)

OP posts:
Hadenoughoftumble · 05/08/2016 11:17

I feel exactly the same! This thread has really surprised me because everyone I know already has really strong friendship groups already established and sometimes I am allowed to tag along but it's really awkward and doesn't last.

Maybe I'll be lucky and one day I'll meet someone just as socially awkward and extremely shy as me and we'll bond over it!

Have fun hoovering Smile