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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To have confronted DH's cousin for flirting with him?

543 replies

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 13:56

My husband and I have been together for 18 years, married for 12. We have two children, aged 15 and 13.

Years ago, long before our relationship, when DH and his female 1st cousin were teenagers, they had a brief, secret relationship with each other.

At first, I thought they just slept together, but over the years DH confided in me that he had slept with her once while staying at her house for a week during the summer holidays when they were both 16, but that they also wanted to be together but knew they could never tell anyone.

They lived in different parts of the country and rarely ever saw each other.

My DH has told me he's actually quite angry with his parents for putting them in this position. They were teenagers, who didn't grow up together, rarely saw each other, and yet when the family would meet up once or twice a year, they would always stay over and the kids would be put in the same room, on bunk beds and camp beds, without any thought of the fact that they were developing and going through puberty, just assuming they were innocent kids. He says the curiousity and strong feelings were inevitable and his parents and other adults should have been more responsible.

Anyway, noone at all knows what happened except DH, the cousin, and me.

When they reached young adulthood, the cousin emigrated to a different country and DH and I have only seen her twice in the last 15 years.
However, we are all currently all Holiday together! MIL recently won a large amount of money and took the whole extended family, 17 of us in total, away on a huge Holiday. Cousin is here.

We have been drinking every night and cousin, who is now in her late 30s, and doesn't have a husband or kids of her own, keeps relentlessly saying flirting with DH. Telling him he looks great in shorts, whistling when he takes his top off on the beach, making silly sexual jokes, and hugging him by coming up behind him and resting her head on his shoulder. Noone else seems to notice and DH says not to worry about it as he doesn't feel anything for her and nothing is going to happen and she's just being playful.
But I've noticed she's not like it with any other males here. Just DH.

The final straw for me came last night when she sat on DH's lap while we were all sitting around drinking and put her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

DH just laughed and told her to get up then got up himself and went to the bar.

Again, we had all had quite a lot to drink.

A few minutes later, I went off to the toilet and she was coming back towards me. She was quite drunk and came over with her arms out in front of her to give me a hug. I stepped away and looked her right in the face. I said "Stop flirting with my husband. Don't think I don't know your history. If you come anywhere near him again, I will tell everyone about you two." She looked utterly shocked. I walked away. She must have gone straight to bed.
Today, she's been really quiet all day. Everyone's commented on it but they've just assumed she's really hungover.

MIL and I were sitting on the beach and she commented that this trip has been good for her. She's had a hard time lately as a bloke she was going to marry cheated on her with his ex wife and then went back to her. She's really benefitting from being with family to support her as she's so alone out there.

I feel really guilty for saying that to her last night. I just got so jealous seeing her sitting in his lap, looking amazing in her tiny sundress, knowing their history and she was probably his first love, and felt so insecure. The stupid fling they had was so long ago and they were young and I know at least DH deeply regrets it and is embarrassed about it.

I'm worried I've now ruined her holiday. I didn't know she was going through that. I've been chatting to her to be friendly and get to know her but she never mentioned it

Was I unreasonable?

OP posts:
HisNotHes · 05/05/2026 17:49

Not unreasonable at all, she needed to be told.

ETA you should also have been much firmer with your husband about the need for him to shut it down.

ohyesido · 05/05/2026 17:51

ThatBlackCat · 05/05/2026 17:26

No, she is mad because a woman is flirting with her husband. Women would be mad at any woman flirting with their husband, even if they just met.

How do you know she is attractive? OP never said that. The only way you'd know, is if you are the cousin.....

Lastly, it doesn't matter whether the woman flirting is attractive or not. You commenting on her looks is very misogynistic.

Ooh you got me.

give me a break, the OP has described the cousin as looking fuzzy in her bikini. Read between the lines

HisNotHes · 05/05/2026 17:54

NotAnotherScarf · 05/05/2026 17:29

But true.

Consider my position. I have 56 first cousins. Several I have never met due to family schisms, about 5 I have only met once or twice. About 10 that I have probably seen less than 5 times as a child and about the same as adults. The other 30 or so I know very well.

I am fairly sure one of my cousins is attracted to me by their behaviour. It is perfectly legal for us to marry. They are in the second camp and I can only recall meeting once as children and have only met a few times and that was after we were 40 +. So they are a virtual stranger. So would it be weird for us to marry?

I must add that there is no way I would do it, but it's legal and as I say we didn't grow up together nor are close as adults.

Edited

“So would it be weird for us to marry?”

Er, yes because you’re closely blood related! Being strangers is neither here nor there.

Franpie · 05/05/2026 17:56

@Temporaryusernamename

They regret it massively though and definitely don't want anyone to know.

Her actions (and his to some degree) do not give the impression of someone who regrets it massively.

It sounds to me the illicit, secret nature of their encounters back when they were teenagers were a huge turn on and she’s getting a kick out of that now (him too, possibly).

No point in feeling bad, you’ve said your piece and let her know the cat is out of the bag. He should have done that, but it’s no bad thing for you to have done it. It needed to be said.

SorcererGaheris · 05/05/2026 18:09

ohyesido · 05/05/2026 17:51

Ooh you got me.

give me a break, the OP has described the cousin as looking fuzzy in her bikini. Read between the lines

@ohyesido

What I don't understand is why you seem so unsympathetic towards the OP and are seeming to judge her so harshly for what she said.

It's not okay to openly flirt with someone else's husband. Yes, the cousin has been greatly hurt, perhaps even traumatised on some level by being a recent victim of cheating. But she still wronged the OP by engaging in that behaviour.

If OP had known of the cousin's recent experiences at the time she told her off, you might have a bit of a point. But the OP didn't know at the time. So I really don't understand why you're being so hard on the OP?

Ellie1015 · 05/05/2026 18:12

For your dh sake you probably shouldn't have brought up the past in the slight chance it brings it to front of her mind and she discusses with dh or anyone else. However you have done nothing else wrong.

As she is going through a hard time and you dont have to see her often i might start polite chit chat with her today to show you can move on and be amicable to minimise any awkwardness.

There is nothing to suggest you cant trust dh, sounds like that is your own insecurity to work on seperately.

Aluna · 05/05/2026 18:13

On the one hand it’s rather ick and when I think of my cousins I shudder; on the other it’s perfectly moral and legal it’s just not done so much any more apart from in some ethnic communities.

Although - Greta Scacchi married her cousin.

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:13

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 17:29

Yes.

He told me about a (gross) mistake he made at 16

It didn't come up again for over a decade, when he brought up his own teenage mistakes in the context of discussing our teenagers.

Sleeping with your cousin is not a "mistake" ffs.

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:16

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:13

Sleeping with your cousin is not a "mistake" ffs.

Ok, well you don't have to marry him

OP posts:
sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:21

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:16

Ok, well you don't have to marry him

I'm surprised anyone wanted to.

MrsPerfect12 · 05/05/2026 18:22

Don’t feel bad. If she has just been cheated on she knows this is unacceptable behaviour. She is due you an apology.

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:23

NotAnotherScarf · 05/05/2026 17:29

But true.

Consider my position. I have 56 first cousins. Several I have never met due to family schisms, about 5 I have only met once or twice. About 10 that I have probably seen less than 5 times as a child and about the same as adults. The other 30 or so I know very well.

I am fairly sure one of my cousins is attracted to me by their behaviour. It is perfectly legal for us to marry. They are in the second camp and I can only recall meeting once as children and have only met a few times and that was after we were 40 +. So they are a virtual stranger. So would it be weird for us to marry?

I must add that there is no way I would do it, but it's legal and as I say we didn't grow up together nor are close as adults.

Edited

Yes. Incredibly weird.

AgentJohnson · 05/05/2026 18:23

God your H sounds like a right wet wipe. Blaming his parents for his teenage hook up and now pretending to be oblivious to her behaviour.

Leavesandthings · 05/05/2026 18:27

You did nothing wrong. She should feel uncomfortable and be asking herself why she ruined her own holiday by overt, sexual, INCESTUOUS flirting with her family member in front of his wife.

user1471600850 · 05/05/2026 18:34

ImFinePMSL · 05/05/2026 16:54

It is not incest to have sex with your cousin don't be so ridiculous

This is the most grim and disturbing thing I’ve read on here in ages.

Really? It can't be incest as incest is illegal and being with your cousin is not! I didn't say it was the most natural thing in the world but equally it is not worthy of all the hand wringing stupid comments that people are posting on here. As per usual a lot of people are missing the point of the post!

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 05/05/2026 18:36

I would have legged it at the cousin shagging tbh. He fancies his cousin, of course they’re going the flirt.

Maybe I’m uptight but I couldn’t stay with someone who had sex with their cousin (knowing they were cousins). If I did I wouldn’t be around the cousin. I feel like you’re in this mess because of your own poor judgment. You married the cousin shagger you kind of have to live with the fact he wants to fuck his cousin and she wants to fuck him.

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:39

user1471600850 · 05/05/2026 18:34

Really? It can't be incest as incest is illegal and being with your cousin is not! I didn't say it was the most natural thing in the world but equally it is not worthy of all the hand wringing stupid comments that people are posting on here. As per usual a lot of people are missing the point of the post!

Not all incest is illegal. Sleeping with your cousin is legal incest.

Leavesandthings · 05/05/2026 18:40

If your husband truly felt the teenage relationship was a gross mistake, wouldn't he have shut her right down when she began being flirtatious with him?

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:40

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 05/05/2026 18:36

I would have legged it at the cousin shagging tbh. He fancies his cousin, of course they’re going the flirt.

Maybe I’m uptight but I couldn’t stay with someone who had sex with their cousin (knowing they were cousins). If I did I wouldn’t be around the cousin. I feel like you’re in this mess because of your own poor judgment. You married the cousin shagger you kind of have to live with the fact he wants to fuck his cousin and she wants to fuck him.

Yep, sums it up perfectly IMO.

If you (literally) marry an incestuous fucker then, what do you expect? He's the kind of bloke who fucks his cousin for fun. He's hardly a decent human being.

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:41

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 05/05/2026 18:36

I would have legged it at the cousin shagging tbh. He fancies his cousin, of course they’re going the flirt.

Maybe I’m uptight but I couldn’t stay with someone who had sex with their cousin (knowing they were cousins). If I did I wouldn’t be around the cousin. I feel like you’re in this mess because of your own poor judgment. You married the cousin shagger you kind of have to live with the fact he wants to fuck his cousin and she wants to fuck him.

OK, but I already made the decision about the cousin shagging. It's now 18 years, two kids, a house and a whole life together later. I'm not going to leg it regarding that now and I wasn't asking for advice on whether or not one should marry cousin-shaggers

OP posts:
GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 05/05/2026 18:42

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:41

OK, but I already made the decision about the cousin shagging. It's now 18 years, two kids, a house and a whole life together later. I'm not going to leg it regarding that now and I wasn't asking for advice on whether or not one should marry cousin-shaggers

Don’t post online you married a cousin shagger then 😭😭 idk maybe you should bring your sexy male cousin in to make him jealous??

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:43

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:41

OK, but I already made the decision about the cousin shagging. It's now 18 years, two kids, a house and a whole life together later. I'm not going to leg it regarding that now and I wasn't asking for advice on whether or not one should marry cousin-shaggers

But...what did you expect? You started a life with a man who thinks it's acceptable to fuck his cousin on multiple occasions. Now you're here complaining that they're showing their incestuous attraction in front of you -_-

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:43

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 05/05/2026 18:42

Don’t post online you married a cousin shagger then 😭😭 idk maybe you should bring your sexy male cousin in to make him jealous??

Oh, go away 🙄

OP posts:
Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:44

sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:43

But...what did you expect? You started a life with a man who thinks it's acceptable to fuck his cousin on multiple occasions. Now you're here complaining that they're showing their incestuous attraction in front of you -_-

No, not multiple occasions. Once. As I said in my OP. As 16 year olds, 23 years ago.

OP posts:
sunflowersandsunsets · 05/05/2026 18:46

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 18:44

No, not multiple occasions. Once. As I said in my OP. As 16 year olds, 23 years ago.

Being 16 is not an excuse to fuck your cousin. Jeez. Raise your standards.

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