Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To find that there is a great deal of naivety on here

133 replies

Jayeu · 14/04/2026 10:45

I’ve read a lot of threads recently where countless posters have replied to say ‘my DH would never do/say that’, ‘DH wouldn’t get himself in that situation, I know him too well’.

Do you not think that the posters who have come on here to ask for advice on such issues had a similar view of their own DH previously too?

Whether it’s shagging their PA, a sexist comment, strip club visit or coming out as gay - a lot of people have blind loyalty.

I just feel there’s a general naivety that it could never happen to them, and the smug holier than thou replies do nothing to help the OP’s.

OP posts:
LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 16/04/2026 09:52

TennisLady · 15/04/2026 22:12

There was definitely no red flags when it happened to me, and that made me more naive. I thought cheating only happened in other people’s relationships where it wasn’t a shock when they cheated because he’d always been a bit of an arse anyway. So that’s really changed my views to make me realise that it can and does happen to anyone.

One of the most common things women say after discovery day is, "It's like he's turned into an alien." Part of this is that they would never have believed that he could cheat. But mostly it's because he's following the Script and has turned from a previously loving, mild, moral, and apparently decent man into a history-rewriting, angry, blaming, lying, mean freak.

So yes, an H cheating on you - could happen to anyone.

TennisLady · 16/04/2026 10:00

LouiseMadetheBestBroccoliPasta · 16/04/2026 09:52

One of the most common things women say after discovery day is, "It's like he's turned into an alien." Part of this is that they would never have believed that he could cheat. But mostly it's because he's following the Script and has turned from a previously loving, mild, moral, and apparently decent man into a history-rewriting, angry, blaming, lying, mean freak.

So yes, an H cheating on you - could happen to anyone.

Yes, the complete change in them after knowing them so well for years also takes you by surprise. As I went through it and read things online I learnt about “the script” and it’s crazy how common it is.
It ended up happening to someone close to me, completely out the blue got the “I don’t love you anymore” line and I immediately (and gently!) prepared them that there will be someone else. But they were insistent that they won’t have cheated, they’re depressed, it’s because of xyz. Several months later, it was discovered that they had indeed had someone else from work. It’s understandable as if you’ve spent years with someone you completely trust and are happy with, you wouldn’t have any knowledge of “the script” until it happens to you.

JHound · 16/04/2026 11:54

HortiGal · 14/04/2026 16:10

The posters who say just had 3rd baby and DH is off out golfing won’t help me, is asked what was he like before? he’s never done much!! yet you continue to produce children with this lazy useless lump!

I actually understand this one. Not them complaining about him being useless when he has aways been useless.

But I completely understand wanting all your kids for one person and not having to deal with multiple fathers (or mothers.)

ohtobethin · 16/04/2026 12:34

Snowhailrainsun · 14/04/2026 10:51

To be fair, most of the posts are either faux, or faux naive.
Plop and run. Once you start seeing the clickbait, you can’t unsee it.

But yeah, I agree with your point. It’s very easy to holler ‘my dh would never’ or ltb. Take it all with a pinch of salt or as an exercise in creative writing, you won’t be far wrong.

What are the point of the clickbait posts, please?

I think I do see some of them, I just wonder what the motivation is?

it’s not like social media where posters get paid when people interact with post….so why do they do it on here?

and @Jayeu Yes, a lot of naivety.

The posters who would leave their husbands at the drop of a hat if he so much as went to a strip club etc.

Everything is more nuanced.

I’m not a man hater by any means, and I’m not an apologist for bad male behavior….but I think you can’t ignore biology and the impact of testosterone etc. A lot of things about men (my husband) I don’t like, but short of marrying a eunuch or becoming a lesbian, I just have to accept some of them.

My husband watches porn. He’s discreet, but I’ve seen his browsing history. Nothing “extreme” just women. He likes looking at women’s bodies and genitals Envy In a way that I certainly wouldn’t find it appealing to look at a strange man’s genitals…..but he’s a red blooded male, as much as I don’t particularly like it, I don’t see the point in fighting biology about that. Would I prefer it if he didnt get turned on my looking at vaginas? Well no, I don’t think I would.

Many years ago we had a very dry spell (no sex or intimacy for many years following the birth of our first child closely followed by twins). It was a very rough time, lots of resentment on both sides, and he ended up sexting an ex girlfriend.

I posted on here at the time (several years ago, under a different username) and the consensus was “leave the bastard”. These posters husbands would never look at porn or be attracted to another woman and would never be tempted by attention elsewhere even when hadn’t had sex for years.

Breaking up a family and ending a marriage over the exchange of some messages and photos. I found all the comments very overwhelming.

On another website, I posted on the divorce / separation forum, and the advice was much more measured.

What my husband did was not good. But we cleared the air and once we were back on track and my sex life returned, I began to see what the constant rejection for so many years must have felt like to him. And the sexual frustration.

In hindsight, I should never have let things get to that stage. I’m not excusing his behaviour but I can understand it.

And I have to say, I found the vast majority of the posters at that time very unhelpful. They just sounded so naive and blindly loyal and picture perfect. There were none of the more balanced, nuanced replies from the wise mumsnetters that I often see on here, which was a shame.

Snowhailrainsun · 16/04/2026 12:43

Think about who makes money from the site. Clicks generate money through advertising…
Certain topics are guaranteed to generate froth. Troll hunting is frowned upon so those threads run and run. I wouldn’t like to say who exactly might be starting them, but I would imagine it might be part of their job. Ever noticed how the same post seems to appear again and again?
Then there’s the bots and overseas entities who maybe have an interest in pushing a specific agenda. Currently leaning to the right, perhaps.
I’m sure you’ll work it out…

ohtobethin · 16/04/2026 13:13

Thanks @Snowhailrainsuni see what you are saying

OneNewEagle · 16/04/2026 13:33

I agree. I don’t trust people due to past trauma. All the people saying oh that would never happen to me. I would say it could happen to you there’s no reason it only happens to certain people.

I for example had parents who had a terrible divorce due to my father having a second family
the consequences of all of this over the next 40 years of all of this means I’m now LC with parents nc with everyone else
i had one boyfriend beat me to a pulp as a teenager, from nowhere no warning whatsoever
i was attacked and raped by a stranger, once again as a teen. This could sadly happen to anyone at anytime
I was then groomed and In a coercive and very very violent relationship for a decade (gave me ptsd)

(all of the above may have been avoidable if my parents had given a dam)

after all of that
brought my DC up as a lone parent very hard
i have been homeless
I have moved house 20 times, finally have a permanent address
i have been made redundant twice
I have had a nervous breakdown and now have ongoing MH problems
i had to have major surgery in my 30s and now have a physical disability
i have had other partners cheat on me and completely let me down

thats the worst bits and I’m only in my 50s. Currently my long term DP and I are not getting on. He was everything to me as finally I could be me and trust someone and then it’s all changed in the last couple of years after 20years together. I am really struggling.

so as to everyone saying oh that world never happen , nobody ever knows or can tell. The only person you can rely on is yourself, and if you develop a MH illness as I have suffered from for a while that’s not even true .

OneNewEagle · 16/04/2026 13:50

ladyamy · 14/04/2026 13:18

What does ‘a bit Old Testament’ mean? I’ve never heard it before :)

An eye for an eye and so on

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread