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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What would you reply back to this?!

129 replies

Tashhha · 05/06/2025 00:10

I was messaging a guy I am seeing (early days) met on online dating and I said I’m just about to get a bath. His reply was ‘’wish I could be your little rubber ducky right now’’ With wink emoji. How would you respond ?!

OP posts:
OhCalmTheFuckDownMargaret · 05/06/2025 06:05

Not entirely sure the sort of responses you were expecting from telling a man you barely know that you're having a bath. Have a nice time? Enjoy your bubbles?

dogcatkitten · 05/06/2025 06:08

It was a flirty joke, probably an instant response to the vision of you naked getting into the bath!

Salumthecat · 05/06/2025 06:10

I’d reply:

”I don’t have a ducky and your attempts to talk mucky, made me thank myself lucky there’s been no fucky fucky”

Sorry I know that’s awful 😂😂.

Highlighta · 05/06/2025 06:11

Eueww.

Sounds like a typical person to be meeting these days OLD though.

He's testing to see how you respond, for him to then gauge how quick he can get you into bed.

IOnlyWantSexMoneyPowerAndRevenge · 05/06/2025 06:11

I mean, its a bit yuk but if I otherwise liked him, I'd be willing to let it go on this occassion. If you've been flirting then I'd imagine it was an odd attempt at being sexy.
I wouldn't automatically be dumping him.

It sounds like you don't like what he said so
-either ignore and block
-either ignore and continue to text as if it didn't happen (although he could interpret as you not minding it and might do it again)
-reply along the lines of "a bit cringey mate" or "you'd be quackers if you thought that was sexy".

Onelifeonly · 05/06/2025 06:16

It reminds me of the kind of thing my long ago ex would have said. At the time when I was crazy about him, I'd have loved it. But I wouldn't have mentioned having a bath (which has potential for being provocative) unless I felt comfortable with him.

Justyouwaitandseeagain · 05/06/2025 06:20

In the early days I think it can be hard to strike the right tone. As others say, I would respond dependent on how I felt about him. I also think responses and texts at the start of a relationship are generally a lot different to how they are later on. If it was a boss, work colleague or someone you were speaking to professionally, then that would be clearly totally wrong, but given you've been on a couple of dates, is it not less surprising that he feels able to respond a bit flirtier?

itsgettingweird · 05/06/2025 06:20

Brownthosebrownonionsbrown · 05/06/2025 03:06

Ask him if it squeaks when you squeeze it

😂😂

It’s a bad attempt at flirting. But only you can decide whether you’ll turn a blind eye at a bad attempt at him saying he wants to continue seeing you and does have a sexual attraction to you or whether you can’t see past bad attempts.

Personally if I was attracted to him I’d reply with the laughing emoji and then tomorrow continue texting as normal.

Dating is never easy but as with LT relationships and marriage you have to communicate what boundaries are acceptable with you and that starts at the dating part.

Some people communicate it with ghosting or blocking and others do it through telling them.

Personally I always like to give someone a chance to adapt their behaviour if they are being a little try hard - often if I point out how I feel they realise they don’t need to be do try hard and it can work out well - as long as the deeper feelings are there.

Charlize43 · 05/06/2025 06:46

I'd send back a picture of a Piranha, just so he knows what to expect sexually...

SoInLuv · 05/06/2025 06:53

CountryQueen · 05/06/2025 00:30

I mean, you knew when you started with the “I’m getting my kit off” talk this might happen so I suppose you do what you want.

I wouldn’t reply but then I wouldn’t have introduced the bath talk

Yep

IdiottoGoa · 05/06/2025 06:57

Depends if you fancy him. In the grand scheme, it’s not dreadful, just a bit flirty if you like that sort of thing.

If you don’t, just ignore or do eye roll emoji and say that’s a bit cheesy. If you do, just say ‘maybe one day if your luck holds’ or some combination of flirty emojis.

I couldn’t get worked up about this though personally

OldLondonDad · 05/06/2025 07:07

Sheesh- harsh crowd!

You told him you were going for a bath - he knows you are going to be naked. He implies he wishes he’d be there to see you naked. Pretty normal for someone you’ve started dating. It’s a harmless, slightly flirty comment. So what if his choice of words were about a rubber ducky?!?

Men can’t read minds. We don’t know how much you like us, we don’t know exactly when you’d like us to move from coffee and small talk to trying to kiss you and from kissing you to trying to get you into bed, and we certainly don’t know HOW you want us to do that. It’s near impossible to get everything right - so you either make some allowances and don’t get offended when someone does something that’s not exactly what you’d want, or it’ll be just another of the many, many attempts to connect that just dies out having gone nowhere with neither of you really knowing why or what might have been.

Eldermileniummam · 05/06/2025 07:10

🤢

RaspberryCombat · 05/06/2025 07:21

Isn’t it obvious? I’d send him a gif of King Charles. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampongate

Tampongate - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampongate

Ilovelurchers · 05/06/2025 07:21

OP, none of us can comment as we have no idea of the context and what has happened/been said between you up till now.

But it's hardly offensive, unless you have told him you have rigid moral views against sex before marriage for example. You have dated him a bit, and he is gently flirting.

It''s cringe, I agree, but he probably just typed it quickly, not expecting it to be subjected to international analysis!

Itwasallyellow2 · 05/06/2025 07:32

OldLondonDad · 05/06/2025 07:07

Sheesh- harsh crowd!

You told him you were going for a bath - he knows you are going to be naked. He implies he wishes he’d be there to see you naked. Pretty normal for someone you’ve started dating. It’s a harmless, slightly flirty comment. So what if his choice of words were about a rubber ducky?!?

Men can’t read minds. We don’t know how much you like us, we don’t know exactly when you’d like us to move from coffee and small talk to trying to kiss you and from kissing you to trying to get you into bed, and we certainly don’t know HOW you want us to do that. It’s near impossible to get everything right - so you either make some allowances and don’t get offended when someone does something that’s not exactly what you’d want, or it’ll be just another of the many, many attempts to connect that just dies out having gone nowhere with neither of you really knowing why or what might have been.

I agree with this. He isn’t to know what you might find funny and cute and what you don’t. It’s early days. Cut him some slack. No-one gets it right 100% of the time. This is the most awkward time of dating when neither of you know whether it will work out long term or not.

ChampagneLassie · 05/06/2025 07:36

WilfredsPies · 05/06/2025 00:27

When you say ‘seeing’ what are we talking here? A couple of quick coffee dates or a couple of fun dates where things are getting flirty?

If you fancy him, you’ve been actually seeing him and things are heading that way, then it would be a little bit disappointing if he wasn’t thinking about you sexually and trying to flirt with you. Admittedly, his approach is not very sexy and is more ham fisted than anything else, but do you want a man who finds you sexually attractive? Or a friend? Do you fancy him? If so I’d reply ‘😂 Calm down Benny Hill, we’re not there yet’. If he reacts respectfully then that’s a good sign. If he gets the hump then he’s shown you he’s an arse and you can block him.

If you’re not at that stage yet and have only really exchanged names and what you do for work, then I’d be inclined to reply ‘What a shame, you seemed really nice’ and then block.

Sort of this. You’ve been of two dates, his message was incredibly mild. If he didn’t want to see you naked presumably he wouldn’t be seeing you.

TheCurious0range · 05/06/2025 07:45

Meh it's a bit cheesy but nothing to be offended by, you told him you were getting naked he implied he'd like to be there to see that, I think the user of the rubber duck was an attempt to lighten it/make it less overtly sexual.
If you like him but it's a bit soon just say haha maybe one day

SpottyBumPony · 05/06/2025 07:50

It's a harmless comment. Poor bloke he's just having a flirty laugh with you.

Jc2001 · 05/06/2025 07:53

ComtesseDeSpair · 05/06/2025 00:19

I probably wouldn’t, but equally I wouldn’t tell a stranger I was off to get naked and have a bath. It’s just a bit intimate.

Edited

Buy she didn't say that did she? She just said she was about have a bath.

Createausername1970 · 05/06/2025 07:56

It was a bit naff, but not that bad.

If I liked him, then I would be happy to hear that he would potentially like to be my ducky. At least I am not wasting time with someone who isn't that bothered.

I would have replied with a jokey comment or emoji.

whitewineandsun · 05/06/2025 07:56

JemimaPiddlepot · 05/06/2025 01:19

I would think he was being flirty. If I liked that, I’d response in kind. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t. What’s to understand?

Agree.

Maxhatime · 05/06/2025 07:57

CountryQueen · 05/06/2025 00:54

Yeah, but the OP is online dating and most of the blokes there are not “reasonably mature adults”.

Come on 😅

But he’s not a complete stranger. She’s actually met him for dates and presumably thought he was reasonably mature.

Maxhatime · 05/06/2025 07:59

Personally I don’t think the comment was that bad, it was more a clumsy attempt at flirting.

But what matters is how it makes you feel - if you don’t like it either say something or don’t reply to it . I’d probably go with the latter and skip over it.

He will notice you’ve ignored it and maybe flirt differently!

whitewineandsun · 05/06/2025 08:00

If you have been intimate with him and it was nice, it's just a cosy thing to say.

I think this is the most British thing I have ever read! Cosy?

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