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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Breakdown in friend group - who is right?

461 replies

Tornad · 24/06/2025 09:00

I’m not either of these two people.

P, W and 3 others have been friend since school, almost 30 years. Now all getting married, having children, etc. Don’t live locally to one another but still close and see each other very regularly (almost always as a group or one-on-one - i.e. we would never meet up as a three or a four without everyone being invited).

W has always been high maintenance as a friend. She expects us to be there for her, get birthday presents, attend birthday events, etc. She also gives out the same energy. She will always organise gifts,I’ve heaven and earth to attend special moments and be on the end of the phone. So, she’s not a hypocrite or a taker. She just expects a lot from friendship in general.

P has always been more relaxed. Unreliable, late to things, forgets things, doesn’t respond for months at a time, didn’t hear her phone… but she’s really fun to be around. Witty, cool, energetic. But, since having her own kids, P has also become quite high maintenance. Everything is a drama, the world is ending every couple of weeks, everything revolves around her DS. She’s very “crunchy mum” and makes her opinions known on our parenting and nutrition. I’m hoping this will pass because I wouldn’t befriend her if I met her now.

Anyway. W is pregnant and being induced early. She hasn’t said but I assume this is for medical reasons. They don’t tend to induce early just for fun. The date for the induction is P’s birthday. P is furious about this. She thinks that W has done this on purpose to usurp her birthday. She has vowed to never speak to W again and says that it’s “the final straw”.

My initial thought is that P is being ridiculous but, the more I think about it, W has always made a big deal out of birthdays and now P won’t be W’s focus on her birthday, her DD/DS will be.

Who is right here?

OP posts:
Tornad · 25/06/2025 14:39

Ellie1015 · 25/06/2025 14:00

I cant understand the people arguing with you OP. They need to grow up. I wouldn't waste any more energy engaging with them.

Hopefully you got some useful info in that many agree P is out of order. And I agree with you W has done nothing wrong at all.

Honestly just had enough of people just blatantly lying. People literally going “no one said X” and then “I haven’t RTFT”. Then don’t fucking comment on what has or hasn’t been said?!

People still saying no one said W needs to grow up! It is written in black and white on the thread!!!

OP posts:
Butchyrestingface · 25/06/2025 14:41

Suednymph · 25/06/2025 13:51

I assume the op actually is P what with the responses.

Really? I thought the responses indicated OP was probably W. 😅

CheeseFiend40 · 25/06/2025 15:04

Tornad · 25/06/2025 13:52

I appreciate what you’ve said - I could ignore them being rude.

However, I do find it odd that you have no issue with them being rude but have taken issue with me replying to that rudeness. I do not understand why, again and again, being rude to an OP is perfectly fine on this forum but the OP responding in kind calls for criticism. I wasn’t rude to anyone who wasn’t rude to me for absolutely no reason - and, at this point, it’s somewhat a point of principle that I won’t be bullied off my thread by posters telling me I’m not allowed to reply to people while they repeatedly post (I am not saying you are one of those posters, to be clear)

I’m not a troll. I can’t update on the situation when nothing has happened since I posted. And, when there is an update, why would I share it when I’ve had so many unnecessarily rude replies?

I don’t agree that I need to grow up. I think the people who need to grow up are those who come on here and get their jollies by being rude to strangers for no reason and then cannot cope when someone claps back. Adults aren’t shocked when people treat you how you treated them first.

As I’ve said several times, I haven’t been anything other than extremely polite to a single person who wasn’t rude to me first. I don’t understand why being rude to people who started a conversation rudely makes me the bad guy. As another poster said, if they can’t take it back, they shouldn’t give it out.

It’s not evident from this thread but those posters have followed me around the site, tagged me in other posts, commented on several other things about me and using my handle and spread their nasty responses far and wide - and then come back like butter wouldn’t melt on here pretending they’ve not said or done anything wrong.

The last part about them following you around the site etc does change things, you obviously shouldn't have to put up with that. But mumsnet is absolutely rife with those type of people. They simply have nothing better to do with their time or anything else going on in their lives. They must get some sort of sadistic kick out of all this. Honestly it must be a very sad existence, but I have the small hope that they're letting all their nastiness out at online strangers so they're not directing it to people irl.

You however have a family, friends and I presume much better things to spend your time and energy on than arguing with some internet weirdos all day. Is it really worth engaging with them?

Eldermileniummam · 25/06/2025 15:06

You're not being told to "grow up" for living your lives and having babies, you're being told this for being bothered by something trivial like the date on which a baby is born possibly coinciding with a friend's birthday and you for posting on Mumsnet about it. Do you really not understand OP?

Butchyrestingface · 25/06/2025 15:22

CheeseFiend40 · 25/06/2025 15:04

The last part about them following you around the site etc does change things, you obviously shouldn't have to put up with that. But mumsnet is absolutely rife with those type of people. They simply have nothing better to do with their time or anything else going on in their lives. They must get some sort of sadistic kick out of all this. Honestly it must be a very sad existence, but I have the small hope that they're letting all their nastiness out at online strangers so they're not directing it to people irl.

You however have a family, friends and I presume much better things to spend your time and energy on than arguing with some internet weirdos all day. Is it really worth engaging with them?

I was intrigued by the claim about other posters following the OP round the site, tagging her in unrelated posts and using her handle to spread nasty responses 'far and wide'.

So I did an AS. I can see a single instance where one poster on another thread asked another poster if they were W in this thread. So far I can't see anything else, so either the posts that the OP speak of have all subsequently been deleted OR there is something wrong with my use of AS. If someone else can find all these other posts and threads, I'll obviously read them.

Whattodo1610 · 25/06/2025 15:47

Ellie1015 · 25/06/2025 14:00

I cant understand the people arguing with you OP. They need to grow up. I wouldn't waste any more energy engaging with them.

Hopefully you got some useful info in that many agree P is out of order. And I agree with you W has done nothing wrong at all.

OP got this exact information on page 1, but is still looking for reassurance that P is being unreasonable 🤷‍♀️😂 … oh and she’s obviously still here just for the drama and arguments she’s causing 😉

Tornad · 25/06/2025 17:37

Whattodo1610 · 25/06/2025 15:47

OP got this exact information on page 1, but is still looking for reassurance that P is being unreasonable 🤷‍♀️😂 … oh and she’s obviously still here just for the drama and arguments she’s causing 😉

And what are you still here for?

OP posts:
ArtfulCrow · 25/06/2025 18:01

Can't believe this thread is still going. Feel like OP has had a bet with someone that she can create a post that reaches the 1,000 post limit

Gcsunnyside23 · 25/06/2025 18:11

Tell P to grow the hell up and think about her poor friend having to go through induction for what I assume will be medical reasons

Manypets · 25/06/2025 18:17

Just because you are
induced on a date, it doesnt follow you have the baby that day. I was induced, waited 24
hours..and still
notjing happened so they V sectioned..it very rarely kicks in straight away and all
it does
is
kicks off labour..which can as many will attest be long. In my case, I was induced at 11am on 14 Feb, my son didnt rock up till 1345 via c section on the 15th. People were on the same induction ward were still labouring then..

HomoHeinekenensis · 25/06/2025 18:32

Butchyrestingface · 24/06/2025 21:09

I'm not struggling to keep anything straight. I absolutely confirm I was incredulous about the possibility that you were genuinely uncertain about whether P was being unreasonable. Hence why I asked. I am STILL incredulous. I note you are ignoring the fact that you made up a false quote and attributed it to me so I don't think you're in a strong position to accuse anyone else of struggling to keep their story straight.

I was not attempting to start an argument - why would I when you are already arguing with so many posters on the thread? But I was absolutely sincere in asking whether you were genuinely uncertain about whether P was being unreasonable.

No matter how you try to deflect, the fact that you actually started a thread on MN to ask total strangers whether your friend was being unreasonable to object to someone else having a baby on her birthday is mind-boggling. Hence why the voting has gone the way it has.

I agree. That you can even have thought for 1/10 of a nanosecond @Tornad that P is possibly reasonable is incredible.

Rhaenys · 25/06/2025 18:50

Realistically W isn’t going to give birth on the day the induction is scheduled.

GintyM · 25/06/2025 19:10

P is being ridiculous. W isn’t scheduling a brunch—she’s being induced, likely for medical reasons. P making someone else’s labour about her birthday is peak self-centred drama. W might be a lot, but this isn’t that. Let’s save the meltdowns for actual betrayals, not shared birth dates.

AutumnLeaves91 · 25/06/2025 19:14

You cannot be serious? If this is real, W is being induced! Even if it was for non-medical reasons or could be changed, that’s a bigger fish to fry than a birthday

supersop60 · 25/06/2025 19:18

Tornad · 24/06/2025 09:54

Why?

I can see that the votes are 17% on P’s side right now but you’re the first person to comment on P’s side.

No, the sentence was IF W did this deliberately, then she's a psycho. Obviously she didn't.
*hurries back to read rest of thread

ZanyOP · 25/06/2025 19:49

W is unlikely to have been given a choice about it. If doctors suggesting she is induced then they usually do so for safety of baby. Pushing back for a friends birthday doesn’t seem a good reason

unlikely W will give birth in date she is induced. It took me almost 48 hours with my first induction.

priorities change after children and unlikely W will be the same person anyway.

Louisiannadaisy · 25/06/2025 20:21

how many weeks early is she delivering. If it’s 37 weeks no danger to baby. If it’s before 37 weeks then it’s more serious.

Scampilicous · 25/06/2025 20:22

You all sound ridiculous tbh

Birdied · 25/06/2025 20:26

This has to be a wind-up.

Pomvit · 25/06/2025 20:38

P need to grow TF up and it’s unlikely that’s you’ll be induced and give birth on same day

plus it’s dictated by the hospital what she expecting her to do delay it and put baby at risk just so she doesn’t have to share birthday - self absorbed I could t have held my thoughts in

dcthatsme · 25/06/2025 21:01

Is this a joke question? Perhaps you are a writer running an implausible plot past mumsnetters. I can’t believe someone would behave like this unless they are a toddler.

rainbow9713 · 25/06/2025 22:55

You can't choose induction dates..... i have been induced twice. Funnily enough my oldest I was induced on her nans (dad's moms) birthday.... she arrived 1:46am 🤣🤣 so doesnt actually share her birthday with her nan.
My youngest went in on 2nd to be induced, she was born 8pm on the 3rd 🤷‍♀️
P is being ridiculous, and yes you can't just have an induction for fun.
I am always induced and will never go full term due to my very first born not surviving labour and pre eclampsia with my oldest living child

Whattodo1610 · 25/06/2025 22:58

Rhaenys · 25/06/2025 18:50

Realistically W isn’t going to give birth on the day the induction is scheduled.

I did 3 times. Many people deliver on their induction date.

Whattodo1610 · 25/06/2025 22:59

Tornad · 25/06/2025 17:37

And what are you still here for?

Just to see your continuing idiocy 🤷‍♀️

Fleetbug · 26/06/2025 00:02

Maybe P should ask all her friends and relatives to give up sex for a few weeks, 9 months before every birthday. Or this absolute social disaster could happen again!
You could get special reminder cards printed for everyone to put up above the bed- a thoughtful gift. No sex this month guys- it’s P’s birthday in 9 months!
To be on the safe side this new rule should apply to all the friends/relatives in your social group-otherwise P is getting preferential treatment. So just list everyone’s birthdays, go back 9 months, then no sex that month for everyone.

Bad luck if you cover all 12 months- you’ll all have to abstain forever!! But it’s worth it for birthday peace of mind isn’t it! Birthday bliss…just no actual birth days.