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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Feel like something seems off with sisters new boyfriend. To stay silent or mention something?

46 replies

Angee2023 · 25/07/2023 15:41

So my sisters been with her partner now for almost a year, so not a overly new relationship however my sister lives in Kent with half my family whilst I live in Somerset with the other half. This does mean however that we only see each other around 3 times a year. I have just came back from a visit seeing them and I can’t help but have continued bad vibes from him, in which our mum agrees also as she has cottoned on to things which could be potential ‘red flags’, we just aren’t sure whether or not to say anything however as she seems happy and so we wouldn’t want her to think that we aren’t happy for her. I might add in that she is 29 whilst he is actually 46 so a larger age gap. Examples of situations that have made us question him however is things like the fact my sister has had a bob style hair cut for the last few years and she said she would never go back to having it long now (she really suited it short), however he apparently said he liked long hair and has paid for her to now have extensions so she now has long hair, it doesn’t sound like much on its own but then apparently he finds it attractive when girls go to the gym, a couple weeks later and my sister has started going to the gym when she’s never set foot in a gym in a her life (she is tiny and naturally very toned), then also my sister has had a breast augmentation about 8 years ago, to just a normal size where she felt more confident, her new partner apparently started showing her the type of boobs he found attractive (bigger) - she’s now booked in to get them bigger which HE is paying for. These things I did raise a few concerns with but she just brushed them off as it was everything that she wanted to do but I’m just not convinced. So not only has this raised concerns, but my sister has also left her job to work for him, they are now talking about moving to a bigger house together and this is making me concerned because it would be renting and the rent of the places they are looking at would be completely unaffordable for my sister alone, she also has two daughters so I just feel like if she was ever in a position where she wanted to leave him then she wouldn’t be able to just go and find a new job and place big enough for her and her girls, especially when he would be controlling her current income.
He’s just shown other controlling flags such as the trip we just came back from was for my dads 60th, my dad hired a bouncy castle for the children and my sister was setting it up but came back to the kitchen to get her phone as it had speakers which you could connect your phone to, I wasn’t in the kitchen but my partner was and he said that he heard her partner questioning why she needed to take her phone and even when she explained he still questioned it as if she was lying. We also set an air bed up in the front room for the children to sleep on and my sister was going to sleep on the sofa next to them incase they woke up in the night, however even though suddenly her youngest started getting upset about sleeping in the front room, she suddenly said she was sleeping upstairs with him and in the end my partner said he would sleep on the sofa (our daughter was down there too, I had to get our baby to sleep upstairs so he wouldn’t wake anyone in the night otherwise I would of) but the original plan was the children sleep in one of the spare rooms so they didn’t have to go far for toilet etc and him and my sister have air bed downstairs, but she said that he wouldn’t sleep on an air bed so that put that out the equation. Quite a few family members have said there’s something about him that they can’t quite put their finger on, and they’ve never said anything like this about any of our partners before - yet he hasn’t actually done anything wrong (that we know of at least).
I’m just not convinced, but I don’t know if I am blowing this way out of proportion or if I should be stepping in and mentioning something in a caring way just to make sure that she is ok and there’s nothing going on?

OP posts:
Jongleterre · 25/07/2023 15:45

All you will achieve is your sister being horrified at you sticking your nose in and making assumptions based on only seeing him three times and will cut you off.

LolaSmiles · 25/07/2023 15:47

You're not unreasonable. It sounds intense and like she's in puppy mode desperate to please him.

You're unlikely to get anywhere by voicing your concerns though. If he is controlling then he's going to use it as a convenient way to prove that her family are out to get him, surely she should respect him and their relationship enough to go low/non-contact etc.

Muffit · 25/07/2023 15:50

You should defintely mention your concerns to your sister.It's not sticking your nose in, she is your sister and you are close.
Explain what you are concerned about, you would want her to tell you if the shoe was on the other foot.
Obviously if she ends up working for her boyfriend she will be less free, more tided to him if she needed to leave.Seeing how so many relationships are transient these days I don't think you are being unreasonable.

Anothernamethesamegame · 25/07/2023 15:51

Have you done a Claire Law and/or Sarah’s law application with the police? In your shoes I would.
My cousin did one for her sister and it came out her new partner was going through court for sending inappropriate messages to a 12 years old and had a history of domestic abuse.

W0tnow · 25/07/2023 15:53

You’re not convinced? I am. He sounds like a creep.

Ace56 · 25/07/2023 15:55

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable, however I think if you mention it to your sister she will just be on defence mode so not sure what you can do.

Do you ever see or talk to her alone, when he’s not there or in earshot?

Pkhsvd · 25/07/2023 15:56

I would tread carefully; I had an ex who was abusive and when someone questioned my choice in partner prior to the abuse starting I was defensive and found it hard to then confide in that person when things weren’t great. As has been said he may then use that to isolate her from family.
I think certain things could be questioned gently; the big one being about her moving into a home with him and what would happen if they split

Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:00

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Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:02

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Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:05

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Angee2023 · 25/07/2023 16:05

@Beachside82 I don’t understand what that has to do with this?

  1. It can take anything between 3 and a half - 4 and a half hours depending on traffic so hardly down the road is it?
  2. I don’t drive and my partner often works weekends so it’s hard to find a time when he can take us up
  3. We all have young children which makes doing the journey on your own harder
We are in fact very close, talk on the phone multiple times a day. Which is why I’m worried to say anything incase I jeopardise our relationship
OP posts:
Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:07

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LadyBirdsLoveEm · 25/07/2023 16:09

He does sound controlling but I'm not sure that saying so would be of any benefit sadly.

Women's aid have a section on their website for advise of friends and relatives. Maybe have a read on there.

LakeTiticaca · 25/07/2023 16:09

Yanbu. Even the red flags have red flags all over them. I think you should have a gentle but frank conversation with your sister. She's probably so loved up she isn't registering what outsiders can see

VeridicalVagabond · 25/07/2023 16:09

@Beachside82 why bother posting if you're not actually going to read the OP? She literally answers your question twice in the post.

OP I agree you're not being unreasonable to feel weird about this guy, he sounds creepy and controlling. However as pp have said, I worry that raising any of your concerns with your sister might just put her on the defensive, and might make her feel less able to come to you in future if his behaviour escalates and she needs support. I'm not sure what I'd do beyond just making sure she knows you're there if she needs you and hoping the new relationship colour blindness fades soon and she might start seeing the red flags for herself.

Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:11

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Emmamoo89 · 25/07/2023 16:14

Yanbu x

ManateeFair · 25/07/2023 16:16

YANBU to be concerned, as all the things you've mentioned are certainly things that would give me bad vibes too. I wouldn't be bothered by the age gap, given that she's a grown woman and a mother of two. But the fact that she's taking quite extreme steps to change her appearance for him (the extensions and the possible boob job) and the business with the phone and the bed, and the fact that she's gone to work for him even though they've only been together for less than a year... it all adds up to him holding all the cards, doesn't it?

I'm not sure what you can say to her that will make her see things differently, though. You don't want to alienate her, so I think if you say something, you will need to tread very carefully and be very subtle/casual about anything you want to raise with her.

Angee2023 · 25/07/2023 16:19

@Beachside82 what a troll you are ha! Not that it is your business but me and my partner are not currently living together whilst we work on things to stop any bad environments in front of our children, he has his demons which he is working through to make it work, but that doesn’t take away anything from the fact that I am allowed to have concerns about my sister?

Your comments are completely irrelevant, I don’t drive, it would be hard for me to get multiple trains (including the underground) on my own with a 10 month old baby, a 4 year old plus our luggage. My sister also gets stressed about driving on the motorway on her own with her two children (6 + 8) - there’s so many factors in the way so to dictate to me that our relationship can’t be that close - you haven’t got a clue

OP posts:
Sparkletastic · 25/07/2023 16:21

Don't raise it explicitly - just keep the lines of communication open with your sister so that she knows you are someone she can rely on should she need support. She's a grown woman and can make her own decisions and mistakes.

Canisaysomething · 25/07/2023 16:22

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You obviously don't live in Somerset or Kent do you!? London is slap bang in the middle of the route and they are a total pain in the arse to travel between. 3 x a year is more often than I would go to Kent if I had family there.

Beachside82 · 25/07/2023 16:24

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Angee2023 · 25/07/2023 16:25

Thank you everyone for your responses. It’s definitely given food for thought!

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 25/07/2023 16:33

Red flags definitely, the breast surgery you mention suggest possible low self-esteem issues.

Agree with the suggestion about advice from Women's Aid, not sure about whether you can make a Claire's Law application.

321user123 · 25/07/2023 16:34

Anothernamethesamegame · 25/07/2023 15:51

Have you done a Claire Law and/or Sarah’s law application with the police? In your shoes I would.
My cousin did one for her sister and it came out her new partner was going through court for sending inappropriate messages to a 12 years old and had a history of domestic abuse.

THISSSSSSS.

OP I really hope you see this.

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