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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to know the worst way you've broken up with someone?

31 replies

GoodGrief100 · 10/04/2021 13:00

I'll kick off first...when I was about 20 I dated a man from work. All he did was talk about his ex girlfriend and football and I really wasn't feeling it and felt like I was keeping him amused after a long term relationship ended. After about 3 weeks I wanted to break up with him. I had the stupid idea that I could make it quite lighthearted so wrote him an official letter terminating our relationship - as in, Dear X, I regret to inform you that I am no longer available for dating...I would gladly provide references to future romantic endeavours, Your Sincerely...Oh it was awful. Suffice to say it went down like a lead balloon and to this day I think back and cannot believe what a total knobber move that was. Has anyone else broken up with someone in a bad way and regretted it decades later?!

OP posts:
GoodGrief100 · 10/04/2021 13:04

And name changed for the obvious reasons...

OP posts:
Allwokedup · 10/04/2021 13:25

oh my God!!! Why would you do that? Although that is very funny.

Happycat1212 · 10/04/2021 13:27

Ghosting which seems to be the crime of the century on here

DrSbaitso · 10/04/2021 13:30

Following with interest and deep appreciation for the OP's story.

GoodGrief100 · 10/04/2021 13:32

@Allwokedup I honestly thought it was cute and humerous so not to hurt his feelings and take the sting out - stupid right?! If I could, I'd go back and slap myself for being an insensitive turd - or not do it at all!!

OP posts:
Nesski · 10/04/2021 13:34

Lol @GoodGrief100 that's a good'un.

I did the text thing, he was at a wedding and I said I needed to talk to him, and he said he was busy (obviously) and then I said I'm breaking up with him and then blocked him on everything. He managed to find my home phone though which was the most awkward thing ever! Mum picked up the phone so knew something was up. He left the wedding, drove 5 hours down and then we ended it in McDonald's over a cuppa tea faceplam

LunaNorth · 10/04/2021 13:34

Did you offer to provide references to any future paramours?

FireflyRainbow · 10/04/2021 13:42

When I was young I was going on dates with a lovely guy but I just didn't develop feelings for him. He kept taking me out and I tried to let him down gently that I wasn't interested in him sexually but he just offered more extravagant dates to try to wine and dine me so I told him I had genital warts which is why I couldn't have sex with him 😂 sounds mad typing that but its true 😂😂 I see him out in a park when my kids were young I was so embarrassed. We didn't speak.

Allwokedup · 10/04/2021 13:43

@GoodGrief100 that is a great story? What did he say!? I can imagine you wanted the ground to swallow you whole!

IEat · 10/04/2021 13:45

I left a voicemail. I was on the train coming home from work and just thought I don’t want to be with him do I called and left the message. He called that night dear god it was an awful conversation

But I was dumped via a letter from a bf who had gone away for 3 days to find themselves! Karma came and not my arse

GladysTheGroovyMule · 10/04/2021 13:46

That’s amazing OP Grin what was his response to that? Btw I think he got off lightly being broken up with like that as he sounds like a bit of a boring bellend.

Hoppinggreen · 10/04/2021 13:46

Not proud of this and absolutely cringing as I write it but when I was about 13 I ended up going out with someone at school I wasn’t too keen on, no idea why really
I gave myself a love bite on my boob ( top part) then went to school and showed him and said I had “got off” with someone else and he should dump me. Seemed perfectly logical at the time
The worst thing was he gave me another chance so I was stuck with him for a while longer until I finally plucked up the courage to dump the poor boy.

LakieLady · 10/04/2021 13:47

@Happycat1212

Ghosting which seems to be the crime of the century on here
Me too. I feel really bad about it now, and it was 30 years ago.

Mind you, it might have been slightly better than telling him the truth, which was that he was boring as fuck and lousy in the sack.

GoodGrief100 · 10/04/2021 13:52

I'm pleased I don't seem to be the only one who's done this sort of thing! His reaction? Not great - we worked in the same building and after I'd sent this letter (attached in an email to him ARGHHH it's so bad, didn't even pay for a stamp!) I saw him in the canteen and smiled and he took me into a corner (at this point the penny dropped and wanted the ground to swallow me up) to tell me a few home truths. Of course I apologised and explained I wasn't trying to be a total dick, I apparently just was naturally. In all fairness to him, he took on board my thoughts on his constant mentioning of his ex girlfriend and football and I think he even married the next girl he dated (or possibly the one after..I forget). Call me cupid??

OP posts:
Solongtoshort · 10/04/2021 14:00

I got my dad to do it once, over the phone but in my defence l had told him 3 times and he took no notice. So one night (before mobiles) my dad answered the phone and said “you again she has told you to leave her alone so stop calling here” another time l told my mum to tell a boy he had the wrong number he tried 5 times before giving up and as he lived 3 towns away l didn’t see him again.

Fourandtwentymilliondoors · 10/04/2021 14:03

Many years ago I texted my friend to tell her that I was breaking up with my boyfriend, that he was a knob, I didn’t love him and basically various other scathing remarks about what a dick he was.

Of course, I sent the text to my boyfriend instead.

So not sure if that actually counts as breaking up with him, as he texted me back to dump me instead 😄

FoxgloveBee · 10/04/2021 14:04

Oh so many horrible ways. I feel terrible looking back for most of them. Several, but the worst one (that I am willing to write down) was in my teens...I rang to break up with him because he was a bad kisser but his Dad picked up and he wasn't in so gave him the message and asked him to pass it on.

I am ashamed of myself but I didn't have the best role models in terms of a relationship and took a lot of anger out that I had for my Dad on men in my teens and early 20s.

Happycat1212 · 10/04/2021 14:48

Speaking of the worst way you’ve broken up with someone I had someone break up with ME he was at my house a few days before, everything was fine no arguments nothing, I hadn’t heard from him for a few days so I messaged him and had a response saying “who is this?” 😱 (obviously deleted my number) I said “err you was at my house 2 days ago have you forgotten me already?” And he said “oh, I have a girlfriend now so I won’t be speaking to you again” how cold can you be! I think I would have preferred to be ghosted! I was only young 18-19, I got my revenge when he had the cheek to try to come crawling back 6 months later when they had broken up 😂

BootsScootsAndToots · 10/04/2021 14:55

I was 25, had been together for over a year, and said I think we need to break up after we'd just had sex.

I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or him.

We had plans to go backpacking for 2 months the following week. We ended up travelling together because he didn't want me to go on my own, and I felt too mean to insist.

It was an interesting trip 🤨.

Cottagepieandpeas · 10/04/2021 15:02

I dumped someone on Valentines Day, years ago. It was on the phone and I was oblivious of the date Grin
He was really grumpy about it! Maybe he wouldn’t have cared if I’d done it on the 15th.

In a similar tale, I was dumped (by someone that I was absolutely mad about at the time) on the Saturday of a bank holiday weekend. I was at his place and he kicked me out.
As well as being heartbroken I had an extra day to be lonely and sad!

KurtWilde · 10/04/2021 15:24

I got my dad to dump someone for me once, as in when he called at my house I got my dad to answer the door and say I'm sorry Kurt isn't interested and wants to break up, and then he shut the door on him without waiting for a response!

I had an ex break up with me by asking me to come over to his, told me the door was unlocked and to come straight in, which I did only to find him snogging his ex on the sofa. He thought it would be the easiest way to kill two birds with one stone Confused

Meme69 · 10/04/2021 16:04

Gosh, I still crying about this... When I was 14 I dated a 17 year old who had just entered the armed forces. He totally love bombed me and I found it overwhelming. He kept sending flowers etc and calling. One day I answered the phone and he asked to speak to me. I responded "I'm sorry, I'm not here". He knew it was me and said so, and I said it wasn't and hung up!!

Another guy I was with was an addict and we lived together. I got up one night at 2am, said I was going to buy a Twix from the garage, picked up my handbag and walked out. I left everything I owned behind and just drove off, never to return.

Meme69 · 10/04/2021 16:04

Cringing, not crying

Bertiebassetsbabe · 10/04/2021 16:06

Whilst at school, a boy I was seeing started trying it on with my best friend. So I dumped him by letter, it wasn’t hand written but I cut out the letters from the newspaper to spell out ‘you’re dumped’.

Think I had been watching too many kidnap shows with ransom demands.

Buzlightyear1 · 10/04/2021 16:14

I was with a addict I had begged him to leave he wouldn’t and would scream shout was really horrible. One day I had enough I called the police non emergency number to have him removed from my house and my mum. I feel pretty shit about it but at the same time he was a abusive addict. Who would do drugs in front of our son. I still feel horrible but also the happiest I’ve ever been. he ended up homeless but then he mugged someone after to .

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