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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think it's unacceptable for friend to open things in my house?

37 replies

user1470271524 · 06/10/2016 20:52

I have a friend who makes herself very at home at my house. I love having friends over for dinner/coffee and love for them to "feel at home" but my other friends seem to deal with the normal human boundaries fine unlike her.

She has in the past ripped open a perfume still in it's sealed packaging and sprayed it on. I was shocked but she acted like it was nothing. She had no idea if that perfume was okay to open, it could have been a gift for someone else, or about to be returned and it's rude in general to be open something the owner hasn't themselves surely?

If she comes over and I go to the bathroom/upstairs she makes herself really at home and starts going through the house "exploring" almost, really having a good look through things in a way that's less than appropriate, looking at and picking things up from places that are out of the way, helping herself to nice treats she finds (again that are still sealed) and eating them.

She once opened and started eating treat packs for a work event that were put away on a shelf in another room entirely along with work related things.

Of course someone helping themselves to normal food in my house is not an issue & I always lay on lots of snacks for people, too much most say, and they can help themselves to normal drinks and food around the kitchen, but surely if you see something put away properly (not out in the open) and a little special/specific you don't go out of the way to help yourself to it.

It's got to the stage where i'm afraid to leave her unattended in my house in fear of finding her with something else ripped open, looking at something private or chewing away at a gift I got for someone. I have to really go out of my way to hide private things like letters and work stuff more than anyone should have to, and last time even hid an expensive small box of chocolates I got as a gift before she arrived, which felt really childish and ridiculous, but damn it i already prepared lots of treats and tea for her & should be able to keep some things for myself!

She also invites herself over without making sure it's okay. Either just turning up herself without warning, or changing the plan for a group of us going out to saying she just want to hang out at mine instead.

I invite them to my house all the time but that's on my terms, this kind of behaviour and forcing things on me on the spot is extremely frustrating. Sometimes i'm just not in the mood to host, my house might be out of sorts, I might not have anything to offer them, my partner might be home and doesn't want to be kicked out of the only living room or I want to get out myself - a number of reasons I shouldn't have to justify myself! I put her off enough times with reasons like my husband's working in the living room or i'm already out, but can't keep doing that all the time.

Recently she did this when she knew I was at my parents house for lunch and turned up there which was SO weird and obviously completely disturbed our time together!

She doesn't act creepy when she's doing all this, she just finds it completely normal to breezily act like this and seems to think it's fine for her to do this at her friends and that's how friends act type of thing. Oddly enough I am completely convinced she would find it annoying if I did the same to her though as she keeps very obvious boundaries between friends and her family/home life, but I/we wouldn't want to behave this way to prove a point back to her and I don't think she would get it still.

Not really looking for advice as I know people would say to have a word with her or distance myself from her, but she's not a bad friend apart from these habits, just need to vent and ask i'm not being unreasonable for this getting on my nerves?!

OP posts:
Lanaorana1 · 06/10/2016 22:00

Does she ever give you anything? Thought not. Funny, that.

I always find people as jaw-floor rude as this quite difficult to deal with, because it's quite hard to get the words 'Please leave my stuff alone, it's not yours' out without sounding just one per cent as rude as they are.

BummyMummy77 · 06/10/2016 22:05

Not bu.

I had a friend (had being the key word) who would open everything. She'd open packets of fruit and give the whole thing to her kid, leaving mine without.

She'd also farm sit for this really nice woman and wear her clothes! She'd even take pairs of socks home with her.

It shows such a huge sense of entitlement and no respect for you at all.

Oliversmumsarmy · 06/10/2016 22:06

Chocolate laxatives melted and moulded into a nice shape and packaged up.

RockinHippy · 06/10/2016 22:08

She is incredibly rude, has no boundaries & needs kicking into touch big time, I am surprised you havent blown your top at her already, she would drive me to explode.

We had a friend stay here a while back & he started raking through a tin full of prescribed drugs in front of me - I wiped the floor with him! You have way more patience than me & in this instance, that is not a good thing

AnyTheWiser · 06/10/2016 22:09

Does her name begin with K? I know someone quite similar. Just has very weird boundaries I think, there's no malice, it just wouldn't enter her head that some things aren't okay to do!

BoomBoomsCousin · 06/10/2016 22:12

I think YABU to get annoyed if you don't tell her you don't want her doing it.

It would annoy me too. But being annoyed at someone, not telling them why and keeping on inviting them into situations where they will do the things that annoy you seems kind of unreasonable to me (despite the fact I think she's totally unreasonable to be doing what she's doing!).

whatsleep · 06/10/2016 22:12

Could she be in the autistic spectrum maybe? You say she struggles with boundaries and to know what is appropriate and what is not.

MatildaTheCat · 06/10/2016 22:13

I have two sisters in law who are from different cultures and both think nothing of walking in and rummaging straight in the fridge and helping themselves. I don't mind as such but just find it more comfortable to be asked.

My dh had it worse from one of the SIL who would pop into their house when dp were out and open a new of M&S biscuits which were bought as a gift and on one memorable occasion she went through mum's birthday card box and took one, used one of mum's stamps and then left it for her to post Shock. Oh, and another time db and same SIL couldn't get their Christmas lights to work so popped round to DPSs ( unfortunately out again) and borrowedstole theirs.

Apparently quite normal in her homeland. Hmm.

MatildaTheCat · 06/10/2016 22:14

Sorry, not my dh, my dear mother.

2kidsandcats · 06/10/2016 22:30

I have a friend who does this - she has bipolar. Is this possible?

Wdigin2this · 06/10/2016 22:34

Depends on how much you enjoy her company generally, and how much this is upsetting you. If you're more inclined to the latter, then physically unfriend her.
Next time she turns up uninvited, don't let her in and say, 'Sorry I'm on my way out, can't stop!' If she suggests she comes to your house when you see her, just say, 'Sorry it's not convenient!', and avoid her as much as you can!

mickeysminnie · 06/10/2016 22:46

So she doesn't 'get' boundaries for her but puts boundaries in place for her own stuff?? I think she knows exactly what she is doing and is just seeing how far she can push you. Does she do this to other friends or just you?

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