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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to consider ending things after boyfriend ignored my grief?

36 replies

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 21:56

One of my old friends died a few days ago. I found out late last night and I was really upset. She was one of the kindest people I know and she didn’t deserve what happened to her.

I messaged my boyfriend to tell him and explained that I was really upset. He responded saying that life was unfair etc.

We have been together a few years. We don’t live together, as he has caring responsibilities which takes up a lot of his time.

I telephoned him this morning and he didn’t ask how I was, just complained about the fact that he felt down and that losing one of his parents last year still upsets him. He is often emotional when we speak and I always do my best to comfort him.

I rang him again later this evening to check he was ok and he then spent another half hour essentially giving a monologue about his day. Much of this consisted about none of his new colleagues (I will call her Sue). So it was ‘oh sue is really nervous about doing XYZ, I told Sue this joke, I need to make sure Sue is ok so I’ll have to do XYZ for her.’

Not once did he ask how I was doing. I’ve spent most of the day feeling really upset. And still can’t believe how hard this has hit me. I’m afraid that I got a little bit annoyed and said well now that we’ve made sure Sue is ok, were you planning at any point to ask me how I am?

This then turned into him telling me that he wasn’t going to allow me to pick apart his thinking (no idea) and that he was going to ask but I didn’t give him a chance and that he wasn’t going to argue with me.

WIBU unreasonable to end things? I don’t want to act hastily but he literally does not seem to care about me in any way. Me asking for basic care is interpreted as me being critical and picking at him. I accept that his life is difficult but mine is also similar in terms of elderly parents.

OP posts:
LizandDerekGoals · 06/07/2026 21:58

Dump. Block. Block. Block. He is an arsehole. But you are vulnerable and if he throws you s crumb you might go back for more of this bullshit.

unexpecteditemagain · 06/07/2026 21:59

6 votes in 3 minutes.
100% YANBU.
Irrefutable.

Chickadee26 · 06/07/2026 22:02

unexpecteditemagain · 06/07/2026 21:59

6 votes in 3 minutes.
100% YANBU.
Irrefutable.

I agree. He cares about him him him.
And Sue.

Offherrockingchair · 06/07/2026 22:02

Sounds like he doesn’t care, dump!

ForPinkDuck · 06/07/2026 22:05

Im sorry for your loss op. Has your friend been in your life in recent years? Has your partner met them? Have you spoken about them to your partner?

skiprun · 06/07/2026 22:06

Send him off to sue. She can deal with him.

Hope you’re ok op

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:06

ForPinkDuck · 06/07/2026 22:05

Im sorry for your loss op. Has your friend been in your life in recent years? Has your partner met them? Have you spoken about them to your partner?

Thank you so much. We were at uni 20+ years ago but we still kept up to date with each other and worked in the same profession in the same city. I had told him about her illness but he denies that I had even mentioned her.

OP posts:
DozyCrow · 06/07/2026 22:07

Sounds like he also has mentionitis about his colleague Sue. Anything else going on there?

My condolences for your loss OP. I hope you have lots of good memories of your friend that being you some comfort.

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:08

skiprun · 06/07/2026 22:06

Send him off to sue. She can deal with him.

Hope you’re ok op

Sue won’t have him. She’s 30 years his junior and attractive. At this point she’s welcome to him. I’m trying not to be unkind about him though.

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 06/07/2026 22:08

Life is too short to waste your time on a man who doesn’t put you first. Let this one go and find one that does. And don’t make excuses for any guy who doesn’t.

cosimarama · 06/07/2026 22:11

Sorry for your loss op. It’s good that you recognise your self worth and can rid yourself of this draining man.

Krevlornswath · 06/07/2026 22:16

People can struggle to deal with grief and many fail to do it well when they're actually called upon. I lost my DP suddenly in our mid thirties and found that out quite quickly. As with all these things however whilst that might explain people's inability to properly engage or empathise when someone dies, it doesn't always excuse it. Especially when it's your own partner.

It sounds as though he fails to understand the depth of meaning of this for you, and I think rather crucially, isn't actually trying to. I think a long relationship with someone who isn't emotionally available is always going to have its fair share of disappointment and loneliness when hard times hit, so no YANBU.

Condolences for the loss of your lovely friend OP.

ForPinkDuck · 06/07/2026 22:18

Ok. Ill go against the grain and say dont leave the bastard today. In his head youve never mentioned her.

PashaMinaMio · 06/07/2026 22:18

Stop wasting your life with this toad.
Chuck him back in the pond.

Im sorry you’ve lost your dear friend. Some girlfriends are like family and I’m sure there’s going to be a huge space in your heart for years to come. May she rest in peace. 💐

RiotNotDiet · 06/07/2026 22:23

Sorry for your loss OP, and sorry your boyfriend isn’t being supportive. I experienced similar to this with an ex, not a friend but a beloved pet I’d had since she was a baby (not saying this is the same as a human friend!) and he said something cliche and sympathy-adjacent, then went quite cold. Didn’t text or offer to call me. Just no sympathy. When I next saw him he said something like ‘I suppose you want a hug.’ I raised the issue with him and he said he didn’t want to chase me by texting or calling and knew I could handle it on my own. wtf?! I should have walked away from him at that point but I didn’t. I was so embarrassed and confused by his behaviour, and never told any friends he did that. I was grieving and he acted as if I was too needy or too much - I just wanted a bit of kindness. But when he wanted to monologue about his awful job, I had to sit there and empathise for countless hours. He couldn’t manage one kind word for me. Never even asked how I was doing afterwards. It turned out he was hugely avoidant and hurt me very cruelly in the end, I wish someone had told me to finish with him at that point.

Why stick around in a relationship with someone who is all take and no giving? He should be someone you can rely on for emotional support but has shown you who he is. I’m sorry OP but knowing what I do now, I’d walk away from him.

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:25

RiotNotDiet · 06/07/2026 22:23

Sorry for your loss OP, and sorry your boyfriend isn’t being supportive. I experienced similar to this with an ex, not a friend but a beloved pet I’d had since she was a baby (not saying this is the same as a human friend!) and he said something cliche and sympathy-adjacent, then went quite cold. Didn’t text or offer to call me. Just no sympathy. When I next saw him he said something like ‘I suppose you want a hug.’ I raised the issue with him and he said he didn’t want to chase me by texting or calling and knew I could handle it on my own. wtf?! I should have walked away from him at that point but I didn’t. I was so embarrassed and confused by his behaviour, and never told any friends he did that. I was grieving and he acted as if I was too needy or too much - I just wanted a bit of kindness. But when he wanted to monologue about his awful job, I had to sit there and empathise for countless hours. He couldn’t manage one kind word for me. Never even asked how I was doing afterwards. It turned out he was hugely avoidant and hurt me very cruelly in the end, I wish someone had told me to finish with him at that point.

Why stick around in a relationship with someone who is all take and no giving? He should be someone you can rely on for emotional support but has shown you who he is. I’m sorry OP but knowing what I do now, I’d walk away from him.

Thank you for this perspective. I know it might have been a little while ago but I am sorry for the loss of your pet 💐.

OP posts:
SlightlyTerrifiedButPolite · 06/07/2026 22:27

I’m so sorry about your friend ❤️‍🩹.

It sounds like it’s always all about his emotions and there’s no space for yours? You don’t need that

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:27

Also @RiotNotDiet it sounds like we literally could have been dating the same man.

OP posts:
echt · 06/07/2026 22:34

ForPinkDuck · 06/07/2026 22:18

Ok. Ill go against the grain and say dont leave the bastard today. In his head youve never mentioned her.

Is this possibly because his head is full of me, me, me?

To @HousewasBurning , you describe one very upsetting incident. Does he have form for self-centredness and lack of empathy?

UncommonFishwife · 06/07/2026 22:34

Potentially outing, but here goes. Many years ago I was in an on-off relationship. During it, a family member was killed in a terrible accident. If you’d heard the details (which my supposed boyfriend had) you wouldn’t forget them.

The day of the funeral was horrible. I messaged him saying “It’s Chris’s funeral today; it’s just so awful” and so on. At this point, I didn’t care whether we were on or off or any of that - I just wanted some words of comfort from someone who cared.

He sent back, “Oh, yeah, bad one… Chris… did I know him?”

I knew then that was it. Who forgets they’ve even been told about the major family trauma of someone they supposedly care about?

nutbrownhare15 · 06/07/2026 22:39

A partner should be someone you can rely on to be a comfort when you are grieving. He clearly isn't that person.

HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:40

echt · 06/07/2026 22:34

Is this possibly because his head is full of me, me, me?

To @HousewasBurning , you describe one very upsetting incident. Does he have form for self-centredness and lack of empathy?

A little bit. But it’s largely been the other way round - me helping him through his grief - listening to him and supporting him through it.

This is the first major time I’ve needed some
emotional support. I just l feel that even if you struggle with empathy etc, if someone tells you that they are really upset due to a death, then if you care about them in any way, you ought to ask them how they are.

OP posts:
HousewasBurning · 06/07/2026 22:41

@UncommonFishwife - that is horrific. I’m so sorry for your loss and that you had to go through that.

OP posts:
Youllnevergetabetterbitofbutteronyourknife · 06/07/2026 22:44

@HousewasBurning it's often in our bleakest times that we find out who's really there for us. He has shown you who he is: believe him.

whippersnapper55 · 06/07/2026 23:04

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend 💐

It sounds like you can do much better than him OP

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