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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Ghosted friend and now she's seeking contact. WTD?

67 replies

curious79 · 10/02/2025 12:56

About 3 years ago a long term friend's son (c 12) behaved highly inappropriately with my then same age DD, freaking her out. He didn't touch her but did pretend to 'lick out' her Teddy, kept asking her if she watched p0rn, said he was turned on by her and that his dlck was hard. All was witnessed by DD's friend who was also there. Both girls were horrified and left the room. Afterwards I contacted friend to say you need to know this happened - the other girl's parent also wanted to know the issue was escalated otherwise she was going to take matters into her own hands. Don't make a big deal out of it, but the behaviour needs to be discussed and nipped in the bud. She immediately made a big deal out of it - literally within seconds of being told (this was obvious from time of me speaking to her, then her getting back to me) - and he then of course denied it and her son 'never lies' (please note she knew he had issues with being engaged in online p0rn well prior to that).

I left her with the information but she clearly avoided me afterwards. Eventually we met up last year and she asked me why my DD was not punished, so I said why would I punish her for experiencing what she did? Friend goes on to say, having forgotten DD's friend was in the room and also witnessed everything, that DD had been humping him. After that I kept calm but in my head thought 'sod it, my DD comes first and this friendship is dead to me'.

Except she is now contacting me saying 'why are you avoiding me?'.

Do I:

YABU - You should reiterate what happened and why you feel a relationship isn't remotely tenable, not least of all because she victim blames

YANBU - Continue to ghost her - for your DD's sake and she's clearly not very good at reading the room anyway

[note, being a friend is definitely not an option]

OP posts:
SernieBanders · 10/02/2025 12:57

reiterate. Her son needs to be watched and helped before he does something worse.

Dozycuntlaters · 10/02/2025 12:57

YANBU - Block her so she cannot make contact.

WaitingForMojo · 10/02/2025 12:59

Reiterate why, tell her not to contact you again, then block.

mumofoneAlonebutokay · 10/02/2025 13:00

Yanbu tbh, and I'm usually against ghosting

Dd has to be protected. I can understand being defensive of her son initially but given his known porn issues and the fact that she's now changing her story, you've done all you can

Well done for protecting dd, she's lucky to have you

PullTheBricksDown · 10/02/2025 13:00

SernieBanders · 10/02/2025 12:57

reiterate. Her son needs to be watched and helped before he does something worse.

I'd do this then block. Awful that she hasn't got him any help. A whole raft of teenage girls at risk. It's not as if these issues with teenage boys are unheard of any more.

MissUltraViolet · 10/02/2025 13:01

Conversation and friendship should have completely ended the moment she denied, called your daughter a liar and refused to take it all seriously.

Why on earth did you meet up with her again?

Tell her to fuck off then block her or just block her.

DoYouReally · 10/02/2025 13:02

"I'm safeguarding my daughter. I don't believe you took the previous matter seriously enough and your deflection scares and disgusts me".

curious79 · 10/02/2025 13:02

MissUltraViolet · 10/02/2025 13:01

Conversation and friendship should have completely ended the moment she denied, called your daughter a liar and refused to take it all seriously.

Why on earth did you meet up with her again?

Tell her to fuck off then block her or just block her.

I hadn't realised at this point that she and him were somehow blaming my DD, and had this view of her needing to be punished. At the time she had said he denied it, not that DD had humped him, and she would continue to investigate

OP posts:
Easipeelerie · 10/02/2025 13:02

She sounds weird. It should be quite obvious to her why you’re avoiding her and her family. At the time, did you and the other mum inform anyone e.g. school or police?

Whotenanny · 10/02/2025 13:03

WaitingForMojo · 10/02/2025 12:59

Reiterate why, tell her not to contact you again, then block.

Ding ding! This is the correct thing to do.

By not doing anything (on the mother's part) she's setting up her son to fail, whilst subsequently failing girls from now until well into adulthood.

curious79 · 10/02/2025 13:04

Easipeelerie · 10/02/2025 13:02

She sounds weird. It should be quite obvious to her why you’re avoiding her and her family. At the time, did you and the other mum inform anyone e.g. school or police?

no because he had his previous online p0rn issues so I had wrongly assumed she and partner would take it seriously and not diminish the issue

OP posts:
TastelessMiserySand · 10/02/2025 13:06

Another vote for reiterate, including the fact there was another witness, then block. Your poor DD, she was right and brave to speak up at the time.

curious79 · 10/02/2025 13:06

Even just these few replies are really useful for my thinking and how to respond.

OP posts:
Autumn38 · 10/02/2025 13:07

I actually don’t think you ghosted her. You told her really clearly what the issue is and it’s really obvious why you stopped contact.

Ghosting would have been if you hadn’t told her anything, but just stopped talking.

I’d just walk away from this one. She had her chance to deal with it and she’s not done that

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 10/02/2025 13:09

Definitely reiterate. I believe in being clear with people and not ghosting and especially in a situation like this when she AND her son are so obviously in the wrong and out of order

Thepeopleversuswork · 10/02/2025 13:09

DoYouReally · 10/02/2025 13:02

"I'm safeguarding my daughter. I don't believe you took the previous matter seriously enough and your deflection scares and disgusts me".

This. You would be well within your rights to ghost her but for the sake of your daughter and her son it is worth underlining to her why this is such a serious matter and give her a bit of a wake-up call.

I wouldn’t want anything to do with her either but she is clearly in denial about tye scale of the problem as regards her son. If anything you say prompts further consideration about him and getting him some help it will be worth it.

TeddybearBaby · 10/02/2025 13:09

Am I correct in thinking they were 9 when this happened?!

MuggleMe · 10/02/2025 13:10

Reiterate and block. I'm horrified at his parents.

curious79 · 10/02/2025 13:10

TeddybearBaby · 10/02/2025 13:09

Am I correct in thinking they were 9 when this happened?!

no, just 12 - sorry wasn't clear

OP posts:
OriginalUsername2 · 10/02/2025 13:11

Ghost, block. It’s all a bit gross isn’t it. Spend time with nicer families. Boys like that aren’t being brought up right.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 10/02/2025 13:12

TeddybearBaby · 10/02/2025 13:09

Am I correct in thinking they were 9 when this happened?!

I've just gone back and looked at this, I thought they were much older

Currently 12, 9 then?

Highly sexualised behaviour in a child is a red flag for abuse

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 10/02/2025 13:13

Even being 12 and being so sexual that young is really worrying

TeddybearBaby · 10/02/2025 13:15

Oh sorry, I thought they were 12 now.

The other mum is letting her son down massively (in lots of ways) and she doesn’t seem to understand the situation at all.

How close were you as friends / how long was your friendship for etc?

Feelinadequate23 · 10/02/2025 13:15

I would explain again as above : “You seem to have forgotten there was another witness who confirmed your son’s very creepy and inappropriate behaviour. I don’t want anything more to do with you or your son. He is a danger to girls and clearly needs help. I am shocked you are not taking this more seriously. Please do not contact me or my family again going forward or I will need to escalate with school/the authorities.”

PerambulationFrustration · 10/02/2025 13:16

Why is she minimising this?
It's very concerning that a 12 yr old is so sexual.
Avoid her but tell her you hope she was able to find out what was going on with her son and get him some help for this very concerning matter.

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