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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think we’re not friends anymore?

35 replies

Norealfriendsnow · 02/06/2018 13:12

Apologies that this is long, trying to avoid drip feed. Namechanged also.

I have two close friends who I’ve known for many years. We had our dcs (2 each) at around the same time and would spend lots LOADS of time together.
Been through a lot such as friend one losing her Mum, friend two going through an awful late mc and her marriage broke down. My own marriage ended too.
Anyway both friends are now in a happy place, great dh’s, children grown and flown the nest (as have mine) I however now have a 4yo ds with my current dp.
This has meant that I haven’t been able to see them as much (they still spend lots of time together) as dp and I work hours around each other as we can’t afford childcare, no family to help etc.
I do try to meet up with them though as I love them dearly and enjoy seeing them but I feel that my circumstances mean that we’ve ‘drifted’ somewhat (or maybe just that I’ve ‘drifted’ due to horrid pnd, exhausted as ds isn’t the easiest, I don’t know)
Anyway, last month we all met up at friend one’s house for drinks, I was so excited to be having an evening ‘off’ and I hadn’t seen either of them for about 6 months.
The evening was odd. Friend two isn’t as well off as friend one but appears to be trying to copy her. She took great pleasure telling me that she has the same rediculously expensive kitchenware and has taken out finance on a flashy car very similar to friend one’s etc. I’m NOT jealous, my car is flashy enough Grin and I’ve no interest in kitchen stuff. But knowing her circumstances, friend two must be getting into debt to fund her current lifestyle whereas friend one has been very successful and can comfortably afford hers.
Later on, I went to the toilet and on my way back I heard them laughing in the kitchen, muttering in a bitchy way. I’ve known them a long time, I know that’s what they were doing.
I walked into the kitchen expecting to be included in the conversation but instead they quickly changed the subject to food and shot each other a ‘look’ Confused
We had all previously been talking about our respective lives and having a moan about our oh’s and a laugh about our dc’s etc so I’m wondering if (helped by booze) I’ve said something that they then had a bitch about while they thought I couldn’t hear them.
It upset me so I made an excuse about being tired and got a taxi home, I’d been there a few hours so hopefully it didn’t look rude and I smiled and pretended to be okay.

Friend one hasn’t been in touch since though so maybe she does think I was rude. She’s usually the type to text ‘you okay?’ rather than take offence though.
I wouldn’t think anything of her not messaging me except she invited my 2 adult dc to a bbq but not me, my dp or our ds.
I think this is possibly pass/agg as I know that’s how she’s been with others in the past (but never me, we’re ‘close friends’ Confused)
Friend two has since messaged asking if she could come and see me but I said I was ‘busy’ that day because I just feel awkward about her now. She’s messaged me again to say we must catch up soon.

These are the only two real friends that I still have, I have acquaintances who I’m friendly with but nobody who I’m as close to as them.
My dp thinks it’s just because we’re at different places in our lives atm and I’m just naturally more busy than them and that I seem to be paranoid overthinking.
I think my dp is just trying to be kind. Friend one has never invited my dc’s but not me, until now.
AIBU to think that they’re not really my friends anymore?

OP posts:
Gemini69 · 02/06/2018 15:25

In fairness, I think Ruby does have some very valid points in her second paragraph

which you reach... after the negativity of the first paragraph... Flowers

Izzy24 · 02/06/2018 15:30

I would really struggle to understand why your dc were invited and not you.

Very hurtful indeed.

Chapterandverse · 02/06/2018 15:58

Op - would you think of sending both of them a message/email and ask if things are Ok?

I would do this if I felt like you.

Norealfriendsnow · 02/06/2018 16:30

Thanks everyone. I will read the CBT stuff and see if it helps.
I appreciate that this may sound a bit ‘playground’ on the face of it but given how close we are and have been for so long, I would hope that it’s obvious that the realisation that at least one of my closest friends may have decided to cut me off explains why I’m feeling this way.

I do agree that friend 2 is reaching out to me and perhaps she knows how friend one really feels about me but wants to remain friends with us both. She must feel stuck in the middle if that’s the case and that IS quite playground so I’m going to contact her and continue to enjoy our friendship.

I don’t want to contact friend one asking why I wasn’t invited to the bbq because I fear she may confront me with something I’m not ready for. Her behaviour towards me has made me wary so I might just leave things as they are. It’s her birthday soon so I’ll text her to say happy birthday and see if I can get a conversation going off the back of that maybe, without even mentioning any of this unless she does.
We’ve been such good friends and I hope it’s just a rough patch.

Over the years I’ve seen her go completely nc with 3 people that she seemed close to, often citing ‘after everything I’ve done for them and now they aren’t there for me’
Well, she’s done a lot for me, she’s really helped me in the past and I feel like I could never truly repay her. And now I hardly see her so maybe I’m the next to go.
That’s how I feel.

OP posts:
RubySapphireEmerald · 02/06/2018 16:42

OP, the thing with people like that though is that they’ve always been like that but we as friends choose not to take note of it until it applies to us, iyswim? So if this friend has form for cutting people off then it was likely inevitable that at some point you would become one of those, for whatever reason.

So it’s not a case that you have done something wrong but more a case that she has acted true to form..

I wouldn’t use that as a reason to cut off friend 2 though, presumably you have in the past still remained friends with friends that friend1 has cut off? This is no different.

Norealfriendsnow · 02/06/2018 17:08

Yes Ruby that’s a very good point.

I guess I just have to accept it if she does it to me too. I hope she doesn’t though as I feel that once my ds is a bit older I’ll have more time again and I’d like to have her as a friend when that time comes.

I’m messaging friend 2 now, she’s coming over for coffee on Monday Smile

OP posts:
InkSnail · 02/06/2018 19:39

Glad you'll be catching up with Friend 2 on Monday Smile

Mummyoflittledragon · 02/06/2018 21:22

Great. Glad you’re seeing your friend.

Gemini69 · 03/06/2018 21:25

Hope all goes well tomorrow OP Flowers

InkSnail · 04/06/2018 21:46

How did it go?

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