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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think telling your partner something I told you in confidence makes you a bad friend?

260 replies

Ifiwere · Yesterday 17:28

So I've got a friend I've been close with for years, genuinely one of my best friends. I told her something a while back, nothing huge in the scheme of things but it was clearly personal (not going to say exactly what but it very clearly wasn’t someone I’d want just anyone knowing, and also I kindof think exactly what it was is besides the point ) but to be clear it wasn’t just chit chat , it was the kind of thing you say because you trust the person you're saying it to.
Anyway turns out she told her husband. Found out sort of by accident, he said something that made it obvious he knew, and when I mentioned it to her she wasn't really that sorry about it. Her whole reasoning was that I should have just assumed she'd tell him because they're married, like that's just what happens once you're with someone, everything gets shared automatically.
Honestly I was kind of stunned by that response. If I tell you something, that's between us, being in a relationship doesn't mean your husband is secretly in on every conversation we have unless I say otherwise. Maybe, maybe, I could get it if she was really worried about me and needed to talk it through with someone for my sake, like an "I don't know what to do, I'm actually concerned" situation. Even then I'm not sure I'd be totally fine with it if I'm honest, but at least there'd be some logic to it. This wasn't that though, it really was just a "well obviously I tell him everything" kind of answer, asking like I’m being unreasonable and overreacting to feel hurt about this!
To me that just says she doesn't actually value what I share with her, or the trust bit of being friends, if it's just going home with her every time regardless. Am I being unreasonable thinking this is actually a pretty big deal? Do people genuinely think this is fine? Would you say you're a good friend if you did this?

OP posts:
sammylady37 · Today 01:34

TY78910 · Yesterday 22:52

The thing is my friends would do the same - we all know this. If it was explicitly said ‘do not tell DH’ then it’s a different story, but I also can’t think of a situation where this would occur. And we have been in some wild phases in our lifetimes.

If you ‘all know’ that your friends would do the same, then it would be expected and understood and there’d be no need for your husband to ‘understand the assignment’ as you put it previously, and not let on that he knew. But given he has to behave like that, it’s clearly not the case that your friends all know and tacitly expect this.

sammylady37 · Today 01:36

Mooselander · Yesterday 23:20

YABVU. We’re married, we don’t have secrets.

I tell my husband absolutely everything, and no, I’m not going to stop.

Absolutely everything? Really?
So, you tell him the size, colour and consistency of every shit you take, yes, as otherwise that’d be keeping a secret and you don’t do that, you tell him absolutely everything. Whether he wants to know it or not.

Dweetfidilove · Today 01:53

sammylady37 · Today 01:36

Absolutely everything? Really?
So, you tell him the size, colour and consistency of every shit you take, yes, as otherwise that’d be keeping a secret and you don’t do that, you tell him absolutely everything. Whether he wants to know it or not.

It's pathetic really 😳. I couldn't trust a friend that's so leaky, and Lord knows I couldn't fancy a man that's interested in women's affairs.
Such partners deserve each other, really.
Pity for their 'friends'.

SALaw · Today 05:09

Stormyrose · Yesterday 17:34

Really, you rush back to tell your husband everything your friends say even in confidence, I find that bizzare.

Where does she say she rushes back to tell him?

SheilaFentiman · Today 05:29

I work on the basis that my friends will tell their husbands things and would explicitly say “can I tell you something that you don’t tell Dave, or would that make you uncomfortable?” if I wanted to.

It has made me reticent on a couple of things I would otherwise like to share, but there we are.

tripleginandtonic · Today 05:32

If something is explicitly told be as a secret I wouldn't tell a soul. If it wasn't its more of a grey area imo.

Lentilcakes · Today 05:48

I tell DH everything except if a friend has expressly told me not to tell him, then I will keep schtum.

I will always assume my friends tell their partners things I tell them so either I’d say please don’t, or I’ll not say anything (also sometimes DH has asked me not to mention something to my friends, so I haven’t).

Morepositivemum · Today 05:54

walrushurricane

I was saying I wouldn’t but I get why people do it, it’s to tease out the problem. Making it your problem isn’t making it about you in my opinion. Just my opinion though

whatcanthematterbe81 · Today 06:06

My friends normally say “don’t tell anyone, we’ll except Dave obviously”

whatcanthematterbe81 · Today 06:06

#well

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