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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Female colleague calling and texting partner all the time

283 replies

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:05

So I’ve been with my husband for 10 years, married for 3. We have a 3 month old baby together.

Just before we conceived our child my husband got a new female colleague. He works 12 hour shifts with her 2 out of the 4 shifts he does in a week. She is 23 and single. We are both in our early 30’s. To begin with he didn’t really like this girl, called her annoying and some other not so nice things. Then as they began to work together more they became good friends. I just want to make it clear that I don’t think he is cheating with her or anything like that.

My issue is, I think she is being a bit disrespectful and so is he. They text each other all the time, send Snapchat pictures to each other, and she calls him at least once every day. Sometime several times a day. He often has her on speaker so I know the chat is innocent. She will literally call just to tell him what she’s eaten for lunch that day. She did this all throughout my pregnancy and when I had just given birth. My partner doesn’t see the issue and just sees her as being friendly and he said it would be rude to tell her to stop as they are good friends.

I just feel like a young single female shouldn’t be messaging and calling a married man who has just had a baby all the time. Am I being unreasonable to ask him to tell her to back off a little.

OP posts:
TeaKitten · 08/04/2024 22:06

What makes you think he isn’t cheating or falling for this woman?

boysgrove · 08/04/2024 22:09

Yeah, it is a bit weird

ResidualHeat · 08/04/2024 22:09

I wonder how happy he'd be if you had another man calling/messaging you multiple times a day? Perhaps find an online "friend". Loads of people will be on here saying it's fine, but standards for men and women are very different.

Justsomethoughts · 08/04/2024 22:11

Definitely not being unreasonable to not like this.
Your husband should be prioritising you and your new baby at this point. Even if he doesn’t see the problem himself, it should be enough that it is making you uncomfortable and he should have the sense and decency to cool it off.

boonr · 08/04/2024 22:11

That is really weird. I would say definitely cheating if it wasn't for him putting her on speakerphone.

I don't ring my own partner every day, let alone someone from work.

Really odd.

duckcalledbill · 08/04/2024 22:13

I’m all for make/female friendships and the odd text and phone call but I would not stand for that OP. It’s excessive. Even if it was a make friend texting and calling that much I’d think it was a bit over the top.

PTSDBarbiegirl · 08/04/2024 22:13

It's not fine at all. Tell him it needs to stop. You can't allow this to happen anymore. It's not innocent.

duckcalledbill · 08/04/2024 22:13

Male friend*

MiltonNorthern · 08/04/2024 22:13

This is super weird. I would not be ok with this. It's really intrusive. Your partner needs to grow up a bit and stop acting like a goofy teenager with a crush.

Eyesopenwideawake · 08/04/2024 22:15

She wants to be in a relationship with him. He is doing nothing to stop that belief, more - he's prioritising her feelings over your discomfort. What does that tell you?

Allofaflutter · 08/04/2024 22:15

He needs to stop. This isn’t ok. They both know it.

Haydenn · 08/04/2024 22:16

She doesn’t owe you any respect. Your issue is 100% with your husband. Direct you anger at him not at her.

Glass113 · 08/04/2024 22:17

He may not be cheating yet but it takes one after work drink and he will be.

FinallyHere · 08/04/2024 22:17

Haydenn · 08/04/2024 22:16

She doesn’t owe you any respect. Your issue is 100% with your husband. Direct you anger at him not at her.

This. Sorry

Why blame her, rather than him

DrunkenElephant · 08/04/2024 22:18

Hiding in plain sight.

Itloggedmeoutagain · 08/04/2024 22:19

This would be annoying even if the friend was male

Lucy377 · 08/04/2024 22:19

Even your close female friend or his close make friend wouldn't be maintaining such close contact.

She is being very controlling and he is going along with it.

She's constantly checking he's in her control.

It's nearly like a very clingy young adult daughter ringing Dad to ask how to open a tin of beans. Just because she's lonely away from home.

There is a dependency there. Probably on her part.

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:22

FinallyHere · 08/04/2024 22:17

This. Sorry

Why blame her, rather than him

I am blaming him mostly. I’m not angry at her. But I don’t think she’s completely innocent either. I wouldn’t dare do what she is doing.

OP posts:
fashionqueen1183 · 08/04/2024 22:23

Why is he even answering the multiple calls a day?

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:25

TeaKitten · 08/04/2024 22:06

What makes you think he isn’t cheating or falling for this woman?

I obviously can’t be 100% sure but we are a very open couple. He puts her on speaker when they talk and sometimes she doesn’t know I’m there. And the talk is all innocent. I’ve seen all their messages and he opens Snapchat messages from her in front of me with no issue. She’s constantly telling him about dates that she goes on.

OP posts:
MiltonNorthern · 08/04/2024 22:28

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:25

I obviously can’t be 100% sure but we are a very open couple. He puts her on speaker when they talk and sometimes she doesn’t know I’m there. And the talk is all innocent. I’ve seen all their messages and he opens Snapchat messages from her in front of me with no issue. She’s constantly telling him about dates that she goes on.

You're being naive. She's telling him about dates to make him jealous or to signal that she's sexually active and available.

paintingvenice · 08/04/2024 22:29

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:22

I am blaming him mostly. I’m not angry at her. But I don’t think she’s completely innocent either. I wouldn’t dare do what she is doing.

Well your heading refers to her not him- almost implying it is one sided.

You say a young single female shouldn’t be messaging a married man- nothing about the fact your husband shouldn’t be messaging a junior, single colleague.

You talk as if she is always the one who initiates contact-rather than acknowledging the fact the he will be encouraging her and keeping the conversation going.

You mention her respect for your marriage, before his.

Please be absolutely furious about this. But it should be at him- don’t let him fob you off with stories about it all coming from her- that’s absolute bollocks.

Universalsnail · 08/04/2024 22:33

I'm am in the camp of it's ok for people to have opposite sex friends but this is too much and I wouldn't be ok with this. This is emotional affair territory. It's not normal to be calling friends every single day like this I would be expecting him to back off from this friendship. It's inappropriate

N12251234 · 08/04/2024 22:40

paintingvenice · 08/04/2024 22:29

Well your heading refers to her not him- almost implying it is one sided.

You say a young single female shouldn’t be messaging a married man- nothing about the fact your husband shouldn’t be messaging a junior, single colleague.

You talk as if she is always the one who initiates contact-rather than acknowledging the fact the he will be encouraging her and keeping the conversation going.

You mention her respect for your marriage, before his.

Please be absolutely furious about this. But it should be at him- don’t let him fob you off with stories about it all coming from her- that’s absolute bollocks.

Fair point, you’re completely right. Looking back at my post it does all seem to be aimed at her. Which is weird as I am furious at him and it’s him that his been getting an ear full. So I’m not sure why I’ve written out like that. She does initiate all of the contact but by him answering and reply to her he is encouraging it. Which he shouldn’t be. He just says he’s not being rude by not replying. They are paramedics so they do work closely together so it’s not like he can just bin her off and not be friends with her. I asked if he could just get a new crew mate but he says it’s not that easy to do that.

OP posts:
AnnetteKurtan · 08/04/2024 22:40

Snapchat messages :/ really Snapchat at his age? And with colleagues?

nope

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