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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Advice Desperately Needed

17 replies

emme80 · 18/12/2021 09:50

Hi,
I hope this is not so long that it puts people off. I have offended people that were supposed great friends on a whatsapp message. I had been drinking because there has been so much else going on that I am trying to cope with. I really don't think all of which I said was that terrible-it was all actually true. The thing is, I have looked after kids for these 2 women constantly.Mainly before pandemic. One of them 7:30 a.m until often 7:00 p.m. for free.ALL the time. Have done constant favours that are now of course forgotten unless they need something again. I don't have it in me right now to even right the full truth of all that has happened. I am just angry and resentful because these same women are now telling me thery are so hurt by my comments etc. I never said anything that bad. I hate myself for being a people pleaser.

OP posts:
ItsAllAboutTheLighting · 18/12/2021 09:52

What were the comments?

Sounded like they needed it tbh.

Congrats on standing up to them Flowers

Motnight · 18/12/2021 09:53

What did you put on WhatsApp?

Sounds as though there's 2 issues here - you being used for free childcare and what you have put on WhatsApp.

Ilikepalindromes · 18/12/2021 09:53

No way to judge without knowing what you said

GrazingSheep · 18/12/2021 09:55

What did you say? Drunk WhatsApp messaging is not a good idea

WildMaryBerriesWithBrandyCream · 18/12/2021 09:56

If you said things that hurt them - apologise ...and move on?

I am not sure what looking after children in the past has to do with people feeling hurt by your recent drunken-messages.

Bluntness100 · 18/12/2021 09:57

You really need to say what you said.

Aprilx · 18/12/2021 09:59

How can anyone advise or even know whether you are being unreasonable, when you have not explained what you said.

emme80 · 18/12/2021 10:16

Ok so what i said was not going to be used for free childcare no more. told them they are users, etc in curt sort of way. and also one of the gals, she is really slick and its so hard to put into words but she just knows what she is doing. she is manipulative and wants the other lady as her friend only.

OP posts:
emme80 · 18/12/2021 10:20

can i post the messages here?

OP posts:
HoppingPavlova · 18/12/2021 10:23

YANBU to feel how you feel, but YABU for the way you went about it. It all seems very ‘schoolyard’. If you believed the situation was not working for you then the thing to do would have been to have an adult conversation with the people you are providing free childcare for yo tell them exactly that. Nothing wrong with saying it doesn’t work for you and they need to make other arrangements. Putting odd posts to that effect on social media seems like something a teenager would do before they develop adult communication skills.

IsDaveThere · 18/12/2021 10:27

Yes, you went about this in completely the wrong way. It's fine to feel that you are being used for free childcare but you should say something at the time they ask, and not have a drunken rant at them via a Whatsapp group.

I would find new friends tbh, these two don't sound that great.

emme80 · 18/12/2021 10:46

Thanks for the responses. I apprecaite them all.

OP posts:
ItsAllAboutTheLighting · 18/12/2021 15:03

@IsDaveThere

Yes, you went about this in completely the wrong way. It's fine to feel that you are being used for free childcare but you should say something at the time they ask, and not have a drunken rant at them via a Whatsapp group.

I would find new friends tbh, these two don't sound that great.

Why on Earth did she go about it in the wrong way??

They were taking her for a mug, taking advantage of her good nature and being manipulative.

She called them out on it via messenger.

Should she have called a meeting?
No. Most people use messaging apps.

Being pissed is a red herring, all that did was give her the courage to say something.

OP you have done absolutely nothing wrong.
And I really hope you haven't apologised to anyone for it.

Because it's them that should apologise to you.

emme80 · 18/12/2021 15:41

i needed this comment. Thank you so much

OP posts:
ItsAllAboutTheLighting · 18/12/2021 15:59

You're more than welcome.

I hate seeing people being taken advantage of, some people are generally kind people who don't like confrontation, and some types are like vultures to that and it's not ok.

So well done to drunk you!

EerieSilence · 18/12/2021 16:04

If it took alcohol to tell them the truth then so be it.
It's never bad to tell the cheeky fuckers that they are that.

Yummypumpkin · 18/12/2021 16:08

It sounds like for a long, long time you weren't speaking up about (and possibly didn't recognise yourself) what you want.

I'm guessing you find it difficult to express what you want, for fear you'll be let down or criticised.

What then happened is that after bottling this up you sort of exploded.

Youre now being criticised and I suspect feel both angry with yourself and outraged at the injustice.

The threat now is that you apologise entirely.

When you are ready, if you truly are sorry for the way you expressed yourself you can say that. But you can also say that whilst that was wrong, you aren't going to do free childcare anymore and you hope the friendship can continue for other reasons.

I think this will be hard for you as I suspect deep down you fear people will only be friends with you if they get something from you.

You will need to see how these women react over time to see the truth in this.

Try and think of people whom you do feel safe expressing your needs to.

The fault isn't all on one side in this situation. Adults will expect others not to agree to things that make them unhappy.

Your friends can't read minds and whilst you may wish they were thoughtful discovering your true feelings will have come as a shock, as well as possibly making them concerned about who and how children were being looked after.

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