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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Or is my friend?

35 replies

Thistledew · 11/06/2010 13:35

I had a falling out with my best friend a couple of weeks ago, and although we have since made up, I am still feeling a bit resentful of how she behaved, and would like opinions as to whether I have cause to be.

The falling out occurred when we were away on a camping trip. It was just me and my boyfriend, and her. She was really upset (understandably) the whole weekend, as a couple of weeks before that she had been treated really badly by a guy she had been seeing.

My boyfriend and I tried our best to help her with this, but were not really sure that weekend whether she wanted space to be with her thoughts, or wanted distracting from them. She was in and out of a bad mood and really distracted the whole weekend.

The falling out occurred on the morning of the last day, and ended up with her storming off in a temper and driving home early. She claims that my boyfriend upset her by asking her what she was going to cook him for breakfast that morning. She said that she was upset because she was not there to cater for him and that she did not like being spoken to in that way.

He says that those were not the words that he used, but it was more like "come on, what's for breakfast?", because she was just sitting outside her tent and making no steps to get the cooking equipment out. (We had brought the food and she brought the equipment). We had also agreed the day before to try to make an early start so that we could do somethings before traveling home later that day.

I went to ask her what was wrong, and she said that it was that "knob of your boyfriend and the way that he speaks to me". I said that I thought she was being unfair, and she replied that I should fuck off because I was obviously living in lala land if I thought it was ok for him to speak to people like that.

I was upset, and thought that this was unfair, not least because my boyfriend does not have any expectation that people are there to wait on him. In fact, not only had he done his share of the cooking the day before, but had done all the washing up for the whole of that weekend.

I have since spoken to my friend, and although she has apologised for steaming off, she has not retracted her comments about my boyfriend. Instead she has said that he often has a bad way of talking to people. I asked her for examples and the only two that she was able to raise were, firstly, on that weekend that he had snapped at her when he was driving. Admittedly, this has some truth, but it only happened because she was supposed to be giving directions, but on about half a dozen occasions left it until we were right at the turning before giving the direction. Or when we were at a cross roads, just saying "this turning".

The second example she gave was at her birthday party. My boyfriend is not much of a clubbing person, and sometimes really does not enjoy being in a club. Sometimes, he will go home early, but sometimes, if we have a way to travel to get home, he will just sit in the corner and wait for me to want to leave, so that I do not have to travel back on my own. On this occasion he was doing the latter, and a couple of my friend's friends tried going over to him and jollying him into getting up and dancing. He did later admit that he was not in a good mood at that point so just brushed them off rather brusquely.

I am sorry for the long post on this, and thanks for reading so far, but this is really bothering me. I think that it is such an issue for me because I was previously in an abusive relationship, in which I ignored a lot of my own concerns and concerns that people had raised to me about my ex's behaviour. There is nothing in my current relationship that makes me suspect at all that my boyfriend has any abusive traits, which is why it upsets me that my friend is insisting basically that he has an unpleasant streak, above and beyond normal personality quirks.

What do you think

OP posts:
nagoo · 11/06/2010 13:38

I think that's a really long post. You can't make them like each other.

compo · 11/06/2010 13:40

I think you sound in the right

however my dh hates clubbing and I would hate him sitting in the corner scowling at everyone , I wouldn't enjoy myself at all, so I'd just go with the girls if I were you and leave him at home

HurleySatOnMe · 11/06/2010 13:40

Sounds like both of them were unhappy at the friend being there tbh. It was a bad idea- would you really want to go on holiday with your friend and her boyfriend and be the third wheel? And I imagine he was thinking the same thing, that he would rather have been alone with you

Thistledew · 11/06/2010 13:45

It did seem that before this weekend they were getting on, even to the point that they have been out to the cinema together when I have been away.

I did wonder about the third wheel camping thing, and the original idea was to get some more people to come, but my friend was so upset about the guy that she did not want to cope with a big group. I also asked her afterwards if perhaps this had not made things comfortable for her, and she said that it had not even crossed her mind.

The clubbing thing we are working on- and normally I would go out without him, but as it was my friend's birthday he decided to come too.

OP posts:
Gibbon · 11/06/2010 13:55

Your friend didn't need to storm off but reading the OP I get the impression that your DP can be quite rude at times and think it ok to be so.

This, as your friend, would piss me off tbh.

HurleySatOnMe · 11/06/2010 13:56

They have been out to the cinema together when you were away?

Uhoh...

Gibbon · 11/06/2010 13:56

why uhoh?

pjmama · 11/06/2010 13:56

Rang an alarm bell for me too Hurley.

Gibbon · 11/06/2010 13:57

Oh please don't say it's because they are oviously shagging/heading that way?

HurleySatOnMe · 11/06/2010 13:57

Because when I first read the OP, what screamed at me was 'atmosphere'. There is some reason for the tetchiness between them

vouvrey · 11/06/2010 13:58

Your boyfriend does sound a bit insensitive, but it doesn't seem a big enough reason for you and your friends to completly fall out over.

Gibbon · 11/06/2010 13:59

of course, silly me, forgot men and women can't possibly spend time together platonically.

Thistledew · 11/06/2010 13:59

No uhoh. I trust them both implicitly in that regard. My boyfriend only recently moved to this area so has very few friends here- hence wanting to make friends with my friends.

OP posts:
HurleySatOnMe · 11/06/2010 14:00

Gibbon, none of us know the people involved. But from what has been written, that is one thing I would consider, yes. I would find it very odd if my dp went out with one of my female friends while I was away. Very odd.

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 11/06/2010 14:03

Seems like your friend is over sensitive and maybe jealous that you have a boyfriend and she doesn't.

Gibbon · 11/06/2010 14:03

It's not something my DH or I have ever done but I can honestly say hand on heart would not bother me a jot.

How can you be happy not trusting your partner or friend? I honestly don't get it.

scurryfunge · 11/06/2010 14:05

Even if your boyfriend didn't mean to be rude,it was her perception that he was...perhaps if he apologised to her, it would be better.

prettyfly1 · 11/06/2010 14:06

mmmmmmmmm - I thought that too - keep em apart!

Thistledew · 11/06/2010 14:06

I agree that my boyfriend did not behave perfectly in the examples she cited, but then do we not all have a few things that push our triggers and that we might cause us to express irritation?

I just don't think that he deserved to be sworn at in the way she did, and that in fact she was probably taking out her angst at the guy that hurt her on him, but I would expect her to acknowledge now that she over-reacted, and that he is not deserving of her comments.

OP posts:
Thistledew · 11/06/2010 14:09

Fab, that is a huge part of it. She is feeling really low at the moment about the fact that she has not managed to have a decent relationship for about 8 years, and I have spent a huge amount of time and energy listening to her expressing her feelings on this. I suppose that I am just hurt that she seemed to be trying to attack my relationship as well.

OP posts:
HurleySatOnMe · 11/06/2010 14:10

yes we all have triggers. But you seem to excuse them in your boyfriend and find them irritating in your friend, no?

chitchat07 · 11/06/2010 14:10

Your boyfriend may just have a slightly more abrupt manner than other people do, and most people wouldn't take it as being rude as such, but some people can be oversensitive to it. Could this be the case? If so, your friend will always think your boyfriend is a rude git, when he just isn't flowery with words.

You need to have a think about whether your friend easily takes offense at comments other people make, eg if a bartender at a bar is rushed and sounds a bit frazzled/short when asking you what you want, would she think he/she was being rude?

But to be honest, without knowing your boyfriend and your friend, it is hard to say. Do you have any other good friends that would give you an honest opinion?

DetectivePotato · 11/06/2010 14:15

I don't think he should have asked what was for breakfast in the way he did. I wouldn't like my husband talking to me like that and my answer would probably be to get it himself.
However she did overreact in a big way and she shouldn't have sworn at you at all. That was really rude of her and I would still be angry about that too. I think you should tell her that you didn't appreciate being spoken to like that.

I get your BFs anger with directions too, pisses me right off when people leave it until the last minute to tell you which way.

I also wouldn't go to the cinema with my DH's best mate. That would be weird.

My DH doesn't like clubbing either. Thats why I go with my mates and leave him at home. None of my mates DPs go clubbing.

prettyfly1 · 11/06/2010 14:15

I think in all fairness it sounds like six of one and half a dozen of the other. Your boyfriend sitting in a corner being rude to people on a night out is not going to make a good impression regardless of how you dress it up but your friend should not be swearing like that at people.

Thistledew · 11/06/2010 14:16

Hurley- I think that is slightly unfair. I have spent a lot of time over the last year speaking with my friend about the guy she had been seeing, and will always be there for her to vent to even though I said to her a long time ago that she should stop seeing him, or she would end up hurt.

She is a bit of a drama queen- in the best possible way. That is one of the things I like about her so much, that she can describe a quite ordinary day in a way that makes it sound so fun and exciting. When she is in a happy mood, she really makes you remember how interesting and extraordinary life can be.

I am not sure why I feel so defensive/ upset about my boyfriend.

OP posts:
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