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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU - Retracted Mothers Day Treat?

302 replies

mummytippy · 31/03/2025 12:20

So a few weeks ago my BF asked me if I’d like to go out for Mother’s Day (his treat) if I had nothing planned with my 18 yo DS who is still a college student and living at home. I said I didn’t know what I was doing as not yet discussed it with my DS. Usually my DS will usually just get me a card as not earning and we don’t go out since my Mum passed away 3 years ago. When my Dad was alive we’d all go out on Mother’s Day and he would treat me, my Mum and my DS. I thought offering to take me out was a lovely gesture from my BF and I was really looking forward to it. As the time drew nearer, I asked him if he’d like to ask his Mum and also if it would be okay to take my DS, so 4 of us. He said he thought it was a lovely idea and even remarked it would be both mums and their sons. He knows I’m struggling since the loss of my parents and that I’m struggling with the menopause in that me and him won’t have children of our own. I also had a miscarriage just before my DS was conceived and I think about that baby on Mothers Day too. My BF has grown up children. He booked a table for 4 at a local pub. This was also the first time my DS was meeting my BF’s elderly parents too. I was really looking forward to it all and felt happier he’d asked his Mum as he is very lucky to still have her and she is lovely. She was also very excited. Anyway, all was well with me until after we sat down, drinks were chosen and he headed to the bar. I went with him to help carry the drinks back to the table but upon being asked if he wanted to pay for the drinks, or open a tab for the table, he asked me what I’d like to do while he secured a tab with his card. As we walked away from the bar I said ‘what do you mean, I thought this was your treat?’ He said he was sorry he had said that and yes it was. This was while walking back to the table. It wasn’t resolved and I was very confused so after we’d all decided what to eat we returned to the bar together to order the food. He said he would get it and I could transfer my share to him? Again I said I thought this was a treat but because now I was upset/shocked/annoyed and still confused (all at the same time) and I’m currently short of money (which he knows) I said I can’t afford to transfer you money so I’ll just get it on my credit card and tapped my credit card. The amount included the drinks. We then went and sat back down and I felt really upset but obviously put a brave face on things as his Mum was there and my DS who surprisingly was very chatty were smiling away. I was so upset I could not look my BF in the eyes. For me the occasion had gone from a treat for me to us now going 50/50 which is what we normally do. From the pub we returned his Mum home and spent an hour there with his Dad too so my DS could also meet him. My DS loved them. Anyway once back at my house I told him how I felt about us splitting it 50/50 when originally it was him inviting me out for a treat, and his answer was that that was if it had been just the two of us. So I asked how could that be, was he going to ask his Mum to pay for herself? Was it because I’d taken my DS? and he didn’t want to pay for him, but I’d asked if I could invite him and he’d said yes. He said he thought I’d have realised this changed things. I told him no I hadn’t. I said unless he’d have said to me that because it wasn’t now just the two of us so would I be happy to now go halves I was left feeling like I’d caused my own Mother’s Day treat to unravel and no longer be a treat. He said he wanted me to see his point of view and apologised. To add to this the pub took a £20 deposit for the table on booking on his card which they have not deducted from the total bill which was £60. He now has to go back to the pub to have the deposit refunded. Am I being unreasonable to think the original offer of lunch out being on him should still stand as I do feel very disappointed. As it stands the cost for me and my DS is £30. My DS wanted another drink so I sent him to the bar with my card to tap for that. My BF currently has the receipt to take back to the pub to get the deposit refunded. Last night I did not sleep as this has upset me so much and I’m feeling very resentful.

OP posts:
autisticbookworm · 31/03/2025 13:26

Given he was treating you I would have assumed he was still paying for your food. But o wouldn’t assume he was paying for your son. That’s a bit cheeky, your son should have paid for himself or you should have paid for him.

MuddyPawsIndoors · 31/03/2025 13:26

CurlewKate · 31/03/2025 13:17

Do people seriously expect non working 18 year olds to pay for restaurant meals for their parents? Mother’s Day or not?

Do we know he doesn't have a part-time job?

Either way the very least I would expect would be that he points out he's skint, and asks who'll be paying for him.

Rainydaysandwellybobs · 31/03/2025 13:28

MuddyPawsIndoors · 31/03/2025 13:10

If he's not earning then he need to ask who was going to pay for him.

You don't just rock up and assume.

His mother invited him out. He didn't rock up and assume anything.
Good grief, any opportunity on here to have a dig at men/boys if they don't achieve social perfection by the time they are 18!

MuddyPawsIndoors · 31/03/2025 13:30

Rainydaysandwellybobs · 31/03/2025 13:28

His mother invited him out. He didn't rock up and assume anything.
Good grief, any opportunity on here to have a dig at men/boys if they don't achieve social perfection by the time they are 18!

Don't be daft.

I'm a mother of three grown up sons and every single one of them has had the manners to state when they're skint, and check who's paying if they've been invited out by either me, their dad, or anyone else.

It's bad manners not to.

Crazybaby123 · 31/03/2025 13:32

Well, youbare not his mother, but seeing as you are on your own then he decided it eould be nice to treat YOU.
You then invited two additonal people so doubled the cost of the meal.
Neither of you confirmed who would be paying prior to the meal.
lack of clarity and not communicating are the issues here.
At the time of inviting additional people, you should have said, I would like to invite my son and your mother along, it will increase the costs, can you afford to pay for two extra people or we can do something at home if not as I can't afford to pay for them but it would be nice to see them too.

BunnyLake · 31/03/2025 13:35

You should have addressed this when you added more people to his ‘treat’ (you and he going out. After all you are not his mother to be treated on mother’s day if his own mother is there. Not saying you shouldn’t be a bit upset as it’s nice to be treated but it was a massive assumption and miscommunication on both your part.

The lack of communication between adults never fails to astound me on MN.

nomas · 31/03/2025 13:41

I’m going to go out on a limb and bet that you do a lot more for your boyfriend than he does for you.

Please don’t stay with a man who begrudges spending £30 on you. Run for the hills.

ChimbarasiKotapaxi · 31/03/2025 13:42

There is no blame on your son OP He accepted a family invitation which is absolutely acceptable and as it should be Added to that there is the lovely bonus that he got on so well and liked your partners parents - as they did him This is a wonderful add on to the outing - Please don't let any negatives muddy the waters

Pineapplewaves · 31/03/2025 13:42

I think it’s strange that your DP invited you out for a meal on Mother’s Day, to celebrate Mother’s day but the invite didn’t include your son. On Mother’s Day your son is supposed to celebrate with you. Your DP should be celebrating Mother’s Day on the day with his DM. I think you and your son, your DP and his DM all going out for lunch together was a great idea (and it’s what we did). Obviously your DP had to invite his DF as well.

If he could afford to pay for the whole meal he should have. If he couldn’t afford to he should have said up front. My DSD is at university and DP would never expect her to pay her share of a family meal while she’s a student. Your DP should have paid for your son too.

There are two groups here - your DP, his DM and his DF = 3 people. The second group is you and your DS. If your DP wants to split the bill fairly he should pay for three adults and you two, that’s not 50/50 it’s 60% of the bill for him and 40% for you.

Doggymummar · 31/03/2025 13:43

Meanwhile his dad was left at home, that's weird to my mind. Anyway, you should have paid for your son if he doesn't have money of his own.

Starlight1984 · 31/03/2025 13:49

Where the hell did you eat where it was £60 for 4 people on Mothers Day?!?!

pinkdelight · 31/03/2025 13:49

Thing is, in the OP it says the treat was offered if she wasn’t doing anything with her son. It was effectively a date for the two of them to go out together. OP changed that by inviting the other two. It’s no good people saying he should’ve invited his mum and dad and paid for them. That was never his plan. He specifically wanted to take OP out as a treat presumably because of her missing her mum and if her DS wasn’t doing something with her, he’d treat her. That changed as soon as OP invited the others, hence his thinking that they’d revert to standard 50/50 is understandable, though it’s also understandable that OP got caught up with the invites and didn’t think anything of it. Essentially it’s a misunderstanding but exacerbated by how upset it made the OP and now seems like he did a bad thing when it started out as a good thing. For £60 total, I’d forget about it and be clearer in future.

TheSoapyFrog · 31/03/2025 13:50

YABU. He offered to take you out and treat you if you didn't have any plans with DS. You then invited DS and suggested BF invited his mum. This is no longer the same situation. Did you really expect him to pay for your DS without asking him if it was ok? If so, that's straying into CF territory.

You shouldn't have assumed, but he should probably have made it clear that he wasn't paying for everyone when 2 extra people were added on.

I don't agree with those that are saying that DS should be paying his own way, and yours on mother's day (as he's18 with no money), but it seems like you were taking advantage of BF's offer. DS wasn't organising anything as he had no money, you weren't inviting him down and paying for his meal either as you had no money, but then you invited DS to lunch when you thought BF was paying for it.

Busybeemumm · 31/03/2025 13:52

I really think that if money is that tight then you should have suggested a meal at home particularly as you wanted to invite your partner's mum and also your son which doubles the initial agreement. It really isn't a treat for anyone if there is that much tension over who paid £30. I think overall it was fair that you went 50/50 as you usually do, but ask yourself if this is how you want to live for the rest of your life.

herbalteabag · 31/03/2025 13:52

Well offering to pay for two people is obviously not the same as having to pay for four people so the situation changed. You should have clarified it at the beginning really.
At the end of the day, it was an enjoyable meal and enjoyable company by the sounds of it, and not expensive, so I personally wouldn't say anything else about it.

therealtrunchbull · 31/03/2025 13:55

I think it was rude of you to ask if your DS could come if your assumption was that your boyfriend would be paying for his meal too! I had assumed when I read the first part of your post that you would be paying for your DS!

FateReset · 31/03/2025 13:57

I'm with him on this. He offered to take you out for an intimate meal, just the 2 of you.

You invited your son and his parents, expecting him to pay for everyone?

If I invited a friend out for lunch to cheer her up, and she then asked if she could invite 3 others, I'd assume we'd be splitting the bill rather than me paying for all 5 of us, unless we discussed it first.

It's a bit cheeky to invite others as that alone changes the dynamic completely, let alone expect the person who offered the treat to pay for the extra people!

Next time I'd just accept the treat offered, a meal for the 2 of you. Maybe he felt you'd rejected that and was a bit hurt you weren't happy to go out as a couple.

Irrelevant who the other people were, he didn't invite them out, you did, so it was a little rude to expect him to pay for everyone.

Did he end up just paying for himself?

Is he also short of money?

Chezxx · 31/03/2025 13:59

What a mean man.
Unfortunately I doubt this is the first or last time he has shown you this side of him.

We teach people how the treat us.
If you want to be with someone like this, you cannot be surprised at how you are treated.

Does he spend time at yours, eat at yours?
Is it unequal?

If it is, you are foolish and being used.

lemmein · 31/03/2025 14:04

I would’ve expected to pay for my son unless he offered otherwise.

Busybeemumm · 31/03/2025 14:04

I think you are upset as it's not really about the money- it's about how he sees you and your DS as one and part of his new family.

In his mind as you usually go 50/50, this still stood even though your DS was with you and this is what hurt you. It's never about the actual money spent and the split.

Given your son hasn't met your partner's parents before, it seems like a new relationship. The boundaries are still being tested between you, your relationship is being shaped by this as you are in the midst of the relationship dance.

wfhwfh · 31/03/2025 14:04

I think it depends on your partner’s earnings/finances.

If he’s hard-up, then he may not have been able to pay and it was just an awkward situation. Hopefully he can treat you in another way to make up.

If he’s comfortably off, I agree he should have paid the £60. Making you go 50:50 on Mother’s Day is upsetting. Yes, you did invite your adult son but presumably he was planning to do something for his own mum for Mother’s Day and he’d offered to treat you, so 75% is on his account. Him quibbling over £15 (your son’s 25% share) seems a bit mean (unless he is genuinely hard-up).

SpringHasSprungg · 31/03/2025 14:04

I think it’s fair enough, I think the OP was cheeky adding on her DS. Once the dynamics had changed I’m not surprised the ‘treat’ aspect also changed.

Viviennemary · 31/03/2025 14:05

You should have gone half. I don't think he should be expected to pay for everybody. Suddenly it went to just paying for you and him to paying for 4 people.

Butchyrestingface · 31/03/2025 14:14

Am I being unreasonable to think the original offer of lunch out being on him should still stand as I do feel very disappointed.

Yes, I think you are being unreasonable. If you're short of money and can't afford this kind of treat, you should have clarified beforehand his offer still stood when you invited two additional people along.

Likewise, he should have clarified with you that the original offer no longer stood. It's just poor communication between the two of you.

Heronwatcher · 31/03/2025 14:16

Yes like others I would havd assumed that once I invited my son, at the very least I’d be paying for him, if not splitting the bill. And either way, for the sake of £30 I wouldn’t gave lost sleep over it.

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