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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

BF latest beau.......

4 replies

Mummacake · 18/11/2018 11:49

Wasn't sure how to title this but want views as to whether IABU? My bestie is a widow - lovely outgoing person in her mid 40s & truly deserves someone special. She's been this relationship 1yr & she's planning to move in with him with her 2 teenage DD. I've met him briefly once - nothing I can put my finger on but my gut screamed no. He has grown up kids and is almost 60 but has very 'fixed ideas' (old fashioned) - we both have friends across the age spectrum and they are all great fun so it's not an age thing. He doesn't drive so she has to, he complains about her job as it involves a lot of driving & is male dominated. He is content to spend most evenings at the local pub & wants her to join him - they met there. He doesn't seem to like her going out with friends for the evening- think along the lines of 'oh but aren't your girls out - you can't really have them staying at friends' if she wants to go out vut its fine if he wants to do something. Shes finding fault with lots of people she has been close to. We catch up when we can, but I can't help seeing red flags with this. A male friend asked my what I thought of him & I sidestepped the answer. He & his wife were concerned. They felt that this man seemed unable to socialise (they are similar ages) & that it would cause our friend to spend less time with friends - these aren't budget types either. Theres a xmas social with a group we worked with, lots of whom are now retired, which we alway try to get to. She's going but needs to leave at 8 (shes always late and & won't be there til 7 earliest) & I flippantly said you won't be leaving 1sq mile of where you live at this rate - it didn't go down well....... just a bit concerned that his small minded views are rubbing off & her 'world ' is getting smaller. Not too sure how to broach it with her without offending or hurting her. We've been close for 20yrs.

OP posts:
Mummacake · 18/11/2018 11:54

Sorry, too many typos and predictive text errorsBlush
Judgey types not budget
Thanks for reading this far!

OP posts:
Thehop · 18/11/2018 11:57

Can you risk being very honest without alienating her?

“I love seeing you happy, but I’m worried he’s making you cut friends out and stopping you being you. I’m here if ever you want to talk”

Would she postpone living with him?

What do her daughters think?

Are you sure she just doesn’t prefer seeing him to seeing friends?

bringbacksideburns · 18/11/2018 12:02

She's your best friend. Sit her down and be honest with her. Tell her that you and others have noted he is very controlling.

Mummacake · 18/11/2018 12:31

Obviously she loves spending time with him which is normal. The girls like him & like the idea of being a family unit - their dad died when they were very little. I haven't spent enough time in his company to be able to say that he is controlling but my gut keeps screaming whenever she mentions him Sad I've recently split with a needy bf and she was pretty brutal about him which is fine & before anyone asks no I'm not jealous at all. I can be direct with her, just don't want to push her away by being overly/unecessarily critical. I really don't see what she gets out of this tbh. She's intelligent, does all the driving around, he like to go to the same places he went to with his late wife, again fine, but she's doing the running around, helping him look after the grandkids ('you know how to deal with kids'), he comes to her for dinner most nights as he lives close by...... I dunno, seems a bit cocklodger-like imo. It feels like he's trying to steer her into the little woman at home. Next thing she'll be encouraged to take up a job close to home, part-time etc just as his late wife did. That's not a criticism at all btw - it just isn't her and would severely compromise her financially. I think I probably should try to get to know him but it isn't always that straightforward as he likes to give us time......... which invariably get cancelled. If we meet during the working day, that's fine.

OP posts:
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