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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Need opinions please! Was I rude?

418 replies

savethatkitty01 · 01/01/2020 05:28

I vaguely mentioned to my friend DH & I were meeting up with some friends visiting from out of town and we might go and watch the NYE fireworks, if she was at a loose end. No specific details were given and tbh I only really mentioned it to be polite. My friend messaged me to ask what time we would be going to watch the fireworks & I again reiterated we were catching up with our out of town friends and I wasn't sure, but I'd get back to her. As it turns out, we did catch up with our friends, but did not attend the NYE fireworks.

This morning I received a snarky message from my friend, asking me if I'd enjoyed the fireworks and she'd spent the evening alone as she was waiting to hear from me.

I was a little taken aback and explained we hadn't attended the fireworks after all.

Was I in the wrong? I am totally prepared to accept if I was, I am looking for insight. When I mentioned the loose plans to my friend, I didn't realise she would pin her entire evening on it.

OP posts:
whywhywhy6 · 03/01/2020 00:24

I think your friend’s communications were clear. No miscommunications on her part. You invited her “to be polite” then ditched her. Pretty mean.

TellMeWhoTheVilliansAre · 03/01/2020 00:36

Miscommunication on both parts ?

Pretty clever to make her feel responsible for your crappy treatment of her.

Go you 👍🏻

Wolfiefan · 03/01/2020 07:20

TellMe is right.
Hoping the other party finds this thread. If you do? OP is no friend. Ditch.

browneyes77 · 03/01/2020 07:29

@CalleighDoodle

It isn't vague though is it. Fireworks on new year’s eve. Time and place. The fireworks would have had a published time. Not vague at all. Not like she said we will catch up soon.

The OP was being vague when she didn’t confirm whether she would definitely be going to those fireworks. The OP told her friend she may go see some fireworks and she’d let her friend know if she was going. She didn’t.

Also there’s usually a number of fireworks displays happening on New Years Eve, so unless the OP specified which display she was thinking of going to, was the friend supposed to pop along to each one and try and find the OP? And even if there was only one display, was the friend supposed to rock up and wait around for the OP just in case she decided to show up, despite not actually confirming whether she was going?

Insideimsprinting · 03/01/2020 07:50

I bet op gives them emty offers of help too.

Op-sorry to hear about xxxx
Friend-thanks its been really tough
Op- if there is anything I can do just let me know

Friend - really stuck op, you know when you said you could help....
Op- sorry friend wish I could but....

Insideimsprinting · 03/01/2020 07:53

Agree with willtellme

Friend did no miscommunication, her reaction was based on what op said and clearly didn't mean, meaning friend was left feeling stung.

Toffeecakes · 03/01/2020 07:58

It sure how it was a miscommunication on both parts OP, you just didn’t get in touch which was awful of you. YABU.

TellMeWhoTheVilliansAre · 03/01/2020 08:07

The OP was being vague when she didn’t confirm whether she would definitely be going to those fireworks. The OP told her friend she may go see some fireworks and she’d let her friend know if she was going. She didn’t

Not exactly: the OP told her she was meeting up with out of town friends and may go see the fireworks if she was at a loose end.

The friend was at a loose end and agreed to go along. She would have assumed as most people would that she was being invited along for the duration of the night rather than the 10 minutes at 12am.

If she had something to do and people to go out with on NYE she was unlikely to be at a loose end specifically at midnight for the fireworks.

OP invited her along when she didn't really want her to be there. (she readily admits this) Then when friend tried to confirm when and where OP told her she'd get back to her, and didn't.

Shitty behaviour on OP's part, and she now has the friend accepting responsibility.

Not nice. I really do hope the friend recognises a pattern in OP's behaviour and makes the effort to find better friends.

emsyj37 · 03/01/2020 08:34

Agree with all PPs, there was no miscommunication here. This was nasty behaviour on your part. Don't be surprised if your friend phrases you out now that she knows what sort of person you are.

rumandbiscuits · 03/01/2020 08:42

Yes I think you are in the wrong here. You should have told her when you decided not to watch the fireworks that there had been a change in plan.

Lougle · 03/01/2020 08:45

Perhaps you've left out some detail, then, because there was no miscommunication on your friend's part in what you've said. Only a failure to update as promised on your part.

icedgem85 · 03/01/2020 08:56

Oh definitely rude! The fact she followed it up clearly showed her intent to come, obviously. It was at that point you should have said I’m not sure we’ll go so don’t pin your plans on us. It was clear she intended to spend nye with you, and you should have invited her around with your other friends at that point since you’d already mentioned you all spending NYE together anyway. YABVU.

Hopoindown31 · 03/01/2020 09:06

You said you'd get back to her, you didn't get back to her. Yes, that is rude.

TellMeWhoTheVilliansAre · 03/01/2020 09:28

I think people are mistakenly focusing on the OP not going to the fireworks. Her friend didn't realise she was only being invited out for the fireworks. She thought she was being invited out for NYE. That was due to miscommunication on the OP's part.

If a friend mentions meeting up on New Year's Eve "if you're at a loose end", nobody would realistically expect to be invited out for a few minutes at the end of the night. They would reasonably expect to be included in whatever the inviter was doing on NYE.

The friend is in no way in the wrong here. OP invited her friend out, without really wanting her out. In OP's head, she's justifying it that she only invited the friend out for the fireworks part, and because they didn't go to the fireworks, then the OP hasn't done anything wrong (in her mind).

The OP was wrong, very wrong, in this instance and I hope she has learned from it and in future will be more explicit in her invitations, will follow up when she says she will or better still will not invite people she doesn't want and then just ignore them.

Bad form OP, and miscommunication on your part alone. Nobody else's.

I hope you had a great night 😉

MonderMomen77 · 03/01/2020 09:41

Hi OP I can understand where your coming from. Maybe lonely friend asked about OP's plans for NYE in hope of being invited.
I think OP is like me in that she couldn't just tell her plans without feeling the need to invite the friend as she felt sorry for her.
Maybe friend is one of those people who know they aren't really invited to x y z ....but see OP as bit of a soft touch and are so selfish they take sympathy invite as concrete.
OP had plans with husband to meet friends she hadn't seen in a while. Yet here she is pressurised to give specific times and arrangements for the group to Friend who has probably manipulated the situation so she isn't alone on NYE! Very annoying. Friend probably does this on regular basis and is very good at it.
If friend had any insight she would know that OP and group wouldn't want her tagging along. OP instead of enjoying her night catching up with friends she'd of been babysitting friend!

Fretfulparent · 03/01/2020 10:28

The friend could have sent a message to clarify asking about OPs plans during the day/evening. They do seem to have been quite passive.

FaveNumberIs2 · 03/01/2020 11:29

Yes, you were wrong, she was waiting for your answer, that YOU said you’d tell her. You should’ve messaged her that you’d changed your plans.

Pardonwhat · 03/01/2020 11:33

I’m fascinated that you’re saying ‘miscommunication on both parts’. Nope. Just you.
I wouldn’t bother with you again if I was her. Shitty and hurtful behaviour.

Tistheseason17 · 03/01/2020 11:34

Nice update, OP.

Glad to see you apologised and it has been resolved with your friend.

Now, hopefully, people will RTFT and not comment....

WombatChocolate · 03/01/2020 11:46

Glad you apologised Op. Because your friend is a decent and gracious, she told you there was miscommunication on both sides......to make it easier for you. However, I hope you didn't take that seriously as you sound like you have done. This issue was wholly down to you and if you genuinely still think she played an equal role, you are very odd in your judging of social situations.
So I hope that when she said there was miscommunication on both sides, that you didn't agree, but instead were vehement in insisting it was your fault. Apologising isn't easy and it's good you did it, but you have to carry through with it,neven if someone tries to let you off the hook a bit.

Devereux1 · 03/01/2020 11:57

Apology was issued

As in sorry, not sorry?

It was miscommunication on both parts.

I see no sign of your friend miscommunicating anything.

Bluntness100 · 03/01/2020 12:08

"Miscommunication on both parts"...😱

At least own it, you invited her then left her hanging Becayse your other friends were more important to you. Unless you are not neurotic typical you know full well this was horribly rude and offensive and it was not a miscommunication on both sides, it was all on you,

squaresandsquares · 03/01/2020 12:20

YANBU
I agree it sounds like miscommunication.

Garbosdinner · 03/01/2020 12:21

Oh your poor friend. If this had been me I'd probably sat there crying, feeling very lonely.

winpeaks · 03/01/2020 17:26

Oh dear. It's great if you've never had a lonely New Year's Eve, but surely you're aware that lots of people can and do? It's one of the worst days of the year when everyone seems to be with friends/family/loved ones have the best time if you're alone.

The situation could maybe be seen as miscommunication, perhaps even overreaction, on a normal day for a cinema trip or drinks, but on New Year's eve with the weight of expectation? Yikes.

Kind of odd to invite her to something you weren't particularly likely to be doing, which is probably why she thought it was more certain than it was.

What's more, it sounds like you knew she would be, or thought she might be, "at a loose end" (translate as alone on New Year's Eve) when you invited her 'to be polite' to plans you didn't actually have. Being offered a lovely idea and then left hanging is way worse than it never having been raised in the first place.

Even if you thought she knew that you weren't too sure about the idea, she told you that she was serious about it when she contacted you for firm plans. She didn't say are you still thinking about going, she said when are WE going?

That was the time to either firm up plans to go to the fireworks and tell her the plans ASAP, or invite her to your catch up. To not get back to you when you said you would, not clear any miscommunication you thought there was up AND not invite her to whatever it was you were doing seems pretty inconsiderate, dare I say even a little cruel. You left someone you thought/knew would be 'at a loose end' unable to make alternative plans Ilest it be seen as being rude to you, ironically!), alone on a significant day, feeling like she's less important than you're other friends, and not even worthy of being introduced to them.

To top it all of, you really don't see how any of that is rude? Don't be surprised if her new year's resolution was to find considerate friends.