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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Girlfriend keeps making me repeat myself it’s driving me batshit. Who’s being unreasonable?

140 replies

Flamingo1980 · 13/05/2019 21:09

Interested in your opinion. My girlfriend and I are a bit at loggerheads at the moment and I’m so so confused as to if I’m being unreasonable or not, or even just how move forward really.
We are both females, late 30’s, six months into our relationship. Recently we’ve started to disagree on the fact that she is frequently asking me to repeat myself over and over and it’s starting to drive me nuts.
She says I should be more patient and it’s because she needs ‘reassuring a lot’ over certain things but I believe that if you’ve told someone (and an adult at that) something once, then that should suffice.
Here’s an example. We visited her parents this weekend. She kept asking if I liked them as she was “worried I would tell all my friends that I didn’t like them”. I said that first of all they were perfectly lovely and so no reason to do said thing and also, I’m not a mean person, so another reason not to say it. She said “are you sure?” I said yes. She said “but are you really sure you won’t?” And I said calmly “yes” again. This went on for a while longer and eventually I left the room to take deep breaths.
Later on we saw her dad play the drums in a band. He was great, the band were a bit strange to be honest but I didn’t care as I enjoyed it and liked him.
On the way home she said “are you going to tell all your friends that you had a rubbish time and you don’t like my dad?”. This time, I answered in quite an exasperated way that AGAIN, I’m NOT the sort of person to “tell all my friends” horrid things about her parents and actually I had a nice time and admired her dad. “Are you sure?”. “Yes”. “But I’m worried you’ll tell your friends.......”
At which point I interrupted her and said “look I just can’t keep repeating myself over and over like this. I’ve told you how it is, it’s making me feel crazy to have to keep repeating myself about things I’ve said once. That should be enough.” She got very very upset and said that she thinks I should accept that she needs a lot of reassurance about things and that I need to keep reassuring her no matter how many times I have to repeat myself. I told her it’s making me feel crazy having to repeat myself to her and I really could do without it. (I have a four year old and I work with dementia patients so I have to repeat myself all day long as it is.)
That was just one example of many many others that I could bore you with but I won’t so please don’t use that particular one as the whole picture as it isn’t. I was giving it as a general idea of the structure of how these discussions go. They happen so so often, it just now seems like endless repetitive questions that I’ve answered again and again and it’s really grinding me down.

Now ladies, I’m genuinely confused. Who the eff is being unreasonable and what can I do about it??

OP posts:
Cottonwoolmouth · 14/05/2019 12:57

jacks has a good point with the emotional blackmail. Some people are not even aware they are doing it.

(My mil for one!)

Ticklingcheese · 14/05/2019 13:06

flamingo1980
Haven't read the whole thread, sorry if told already, but OCD may manifest itself this way. Please try to Google it online.

4cats2kids · 14/05/2019 13:08

Issues like this are quite deep rooted and can take a long time to resolve, even with therapy, or maybe never. There is likely to be a choice between deciding you love her enough to cope with her needy side, or deciding you are incompatible and moving on.

Ticklingcheese · 14/05/2019 13:09

psychcentral.com/lib/ocd-and-the-need-for-reassurance/

Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 13:20

I may be wrong, but I thought OCD would be spread accross all aspects of your life? She only does this in certain circumstances and only to me....
In no other way does she display signs of OCD, and I’m around her a lot..

OP posts:
jacks11 · 14/05/2019 13:26

Flamingo- I am not saying she is behaving the same way towards your child or that she is upsetting your child etc. But your child will be learning about relationships and what you have at the moment sounds to be an unhealthy relationship. If this issue is not addressed and your relationship continues on in this vein, then your child will see this as a normal relationship as watching the relationships of the adults around you is how children learn about them.

Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 13:31

Jacks - you’re right and I am aware of this but she’s not like that infront of my daughter (not son) - in fact she’s very ‘well behaved’ in front of everyone. It’s only when we are alone that this stuff comes up.
But I take your point and I am keeping an eye on it.

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 14/05/2019 13:38

Regardless of the reason behind this behaviour OP, it is very controlling and would be a big red flag for me as well unfortunately.

poweroverme · 14/05/2019 13:45

OCD comes in many forms and the receptive questions she asks could be a form. Sometimes it's as simple as asking a question that helps because your making the other person aware of your worries.

I do it by always thinking of the worse outcome so nothing comes as a shock.

DulcieRay · 14/05/2019 13:51

You are obviously not cut out for this relationship
Many other people may be better suited to dealing with this anxiety/pure O OCD type questioning
It sounds like you are already very patient and giving in your life and job and need your relationship to be simpler and not involve a care-taking aspect.
That's ok, know your limits, move on.

Whistle73 · 14/05/2019 13:55

I wouldn't rule out her being narcissistic herself. This constant need for reassurance is really just craving attention and causing drama.

churchthecat · 14/05/2019 13:57

This sounds exhausting. I'd cut my losses and get out now.

Might be worth pointing out to her the reasoning behind self fulfilling prophesies. She's directly causing the things she's worried about with her own behaviour.

Ticklingcheese · 14/05/2019 14:24

A lot/most ocd is in people's heads, you wouldnt notice, it is not necessarily spread to more areas, and it may only be visible or bad when they are under pressure. Try looking at Katie d'ath on ocd.

The washing hand, cleaning ocd is a simplified and unfair representation of ocd.

Ticklingcheese · 14/05/2019 14:39

Sorry that came out a little harch. But if it is the case, it would be so sad not to give your relationship a chance. Ocd is treatable with cognitive therapy and is very much caused by anciety.

Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 15:23

Whistle I have considered whether she’s a narcissist. If she is she’s extremely good at disguising it so far but a few things have come up that have made me question it. My mother is a narcissist so I like to think I can spot one now BUT i have been wrong in the past and I’m sure I’ll be wrong again so who knows?

OP posts:
Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 15:31

Ticklingcheese- not harsh, just informative. It’s not area I’m familiar with at all so a learning curve for me.

OP posts:
ThatCurlyGirl · 14/05/2019 15:35

My love I think you should be mindful not to sacrifice all your headspace to work out why she is this way. The fact is that she is this way and it's grinding you down.

You don't deserve that and haven't been together long enough for this to be a shift change you work through together.

Like I said before you'll be kinder to step back so she can see what she will lose by continuing this behaviour - it's almost impossible to stop being so needy when a partner is enabling you.

FWIW you sound lovely but don't get drawn into a toxic relationship where you're made to feel guilty for not answering her questions the exact way she wants.

Spoiler alert, there's no response you could give that would be 'enough' for her. I needed a bottomless pit of reassurance when I was younger and nobody can live up to that requirement.

Poor you!

Whistle73 · 14/05/2019 15:39

Flamingo - I work with someone I am convinced is a closet narcissist. On the face of it she is incredibly shy and insecure, but she makes such a big deal out of it she gets massive amounts of attention. She gets special treatment, allowances made for her, gets sent on empowerment courses by HR etc etc and when she does something even slightly out of her comfort zone she gets celebrated and feted by her bosses. Flowers bought for her, that kind of thing.
She constantly posts cryptic memes on Facebook which are all basically saying 'poor me'. I'm more and more sure it's all an act.

Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 16:01

That curly girl - it is dawning on me that I have been enabling her somewhat. So for me to put my foot down this week did elicit quite a strong response in her. She didn’t like it. That combined with the fact that I have come to the end of my tether means that either way I’m not letting this continue. I really do appreciate your advice on this it really has been an eye opener!

OP posts:
Flamingo1980 · 14/05/2019 16:07

Whistle that would also drive me crackers. Good for you for spotting it! Has anyone else in your work place spotted it too?

OP posts:
Jiggles101 · 14/05/2019 18:27

I think that's the right thing to do - explain you won't be engaging in answering endless questions and giving reassurance as it's not helpful for either of you.

She'll either respect this or she won't and that'll be very telling.

Oh and bitching talking about your partner/relationship with your friends is completely acceptable and it's a bit of a red flag for her to say it isn't.

I'd be well out of there if I was you.

Whistle73 · 14/05/2019 20:21

Yes - they spotted it for different reasons though. So if a particular team are having fun in some way that doesn't include her, she'll find a rule that they are breaking and report them for it. Really incredibly petty.

Contraceptionismyfriend · 15/05/2019 09:35

She sounds very manipulative.
I'd hoe story end it now as if she's like this 6 months in she is only going to escalate.

She needs to be alone and get help for her issues before she tries to build a relationship

Boysey45 · 15/05/2019 21:30

Do you think she might be trying to drive you mad on purpose? TBH I think she sounds like she needs help.

ThatCurlyGirl · 16/05/2019 18:42

Have you had any progress @Flamingo1980 ?

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