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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Am I just not getting the hint that our relationship is over?!

17 replies

HelloMama · 22/01/2007 20:50

Have been very good friends with someone I met through work for 7 years now. I'll call her X. We were very very close and she was going to be present at DS birth as a suppport to DH and I. However, despite coming to all of out antental classes etc, as it happened, the only day she left the country in all of 9 months was the day I gave birth.

Soon after the birth she moved to another city but we stayed in close touch. We then decided we needed to move somewhere quieter so after much wondering and debate, X suggested we move closer to her. She started calling us about local available properties and offered to view places for us if we couldn't get there because of the baby etc. Eventually we found somewhere and moved into the same city a year later.

Almost as soon as we moved she changed. I was hoping we would meet fairly regularly, once a week or so, and she also had seemed enthusiastic about this. But it just never happened. During this time I became very depressed and lonely, and was more than a bit miserable. It was very hard starting again with DS, also working in a very stressful job, with no friends or anyone for support. I had really hoped she would be more supportive.

A few months later, X had some health problems, and I helped her as much as possible, answering questions, taking worried phonecalls, immediately replying to panicky emails and interpreting test results etc. Just before she had the all-clear we had a night out and she was re-evaluating her whole life and we talked about lots of things. The next day though I got an email to say she regretted discussing such things with me (relationship stuff mainly), as really she should have talked to her DP about it first. I replied saying that women talk about a lot of things on a night out and that was all it was, talking. I said I was glad she talked to her DP and hoped things would work out. At this point, things weren't going so great for me either and eventually got so bad that my relationship with DH nearly broke down because of all the stress we felt under. Luckily we had counselling and sorted things out. We are now very happy again, thank goodness.

Basically after that night we never really properly talked again. We moved out of the city after 6 months. I then got a lot of emails from X saying she hoped we were happy, and apologising for her lack of support when we were living close by and she still hoped we could be good friends. TBH I felt really angry with her at first, but did stay in contact because i love her and miss her friendship so much. That was this time last year. We had quite a lot of contact over the last year, but it eventually got more and more sporadic. I sent an christmas card and didn't get one back and also a birthday card, again, nothing. No email to say happy new year or anything.

Now it is 2007. Do I continue to try and salvage what was a really great friendship, or do I just let this one go? I wonder all the time about how she is and what she is doing. Would I be wasting my time in contacting her again? Is this friendship well and truly over? What went wrong? I feel so sad about it.

OP posts:
HelloMama · 22/01/2007 20:51

Sorry, that is a very long post. Amazing if you made it to the end!

OP posts:
jamum · 22/01/2007 20:54

I would leave it lie for a bit. Wait until (if) she contacts you.

justJAM · 22/01/2007 20:57

touched me as I went through similar - I would write a letter, not an e mail but an old fashioned letter. Explain how you feel and leave the ball in her court - either way you'll know then and will have closure instead of always wondering as I do about my friend now.
HTH

Overrun · 22/01/2007 20:58

its all a bit strange isn't it? I guess there is not much you can do, apart from forcing a discussion with her, maybe it has just run its course?

nearlythree · 22/01/2007 20:58

Some friendships are for life and some are for a season. Hope you feel better about this soon.

SherlockLGJ · 22/01/2007 20:59

Walk away.

This happens sometimes.

I had a great friendship with a Mum at school when DS started reception in '05. I normally take forever to make friends but she was Irish as I am and it just seemed to click.

I minded her DS overnight once, and she minded mine once.

I took her DS to school more times than I care to recount, and was happy to do so.

I found myself in a pickle re childcare for a child free wedding. I won't bore you with the details, but I asked nicely for some help and the shutters came down.

That was on the Friday, by the Monday I was persona non grata.
We barely speak these days.

Some people give, other people take, sadly it is part of the rhythm of life.

HelloMama · 22/01/2007 21:00

What happened with your friend JustJAM? I think the thing is, if X just told me what the problem was or that she didn't want to be friends anymore, then I would / could just accept that. But it is so hard not really knowing what changed.

OP posts:
MerryMarigold · 22/01/2007 21:06

Hi HelloMama. It's really hard to know what is going on with her. I know at times I have grown distant from people and thought there was a problem with our relationship, but really they were going through some intense stuff of their own. It is possible she is depressed, perhaps her relationship with DP has broken down and she is finding it hard to reach out to peope at this time. I would try and find out how she is. If she is fine, and just doesn't want to know you, then you'll have to let go. But it does seem weird for such a close relationship to break down so badly.

justJAM · 22/01/2007 21:07

She went travelling for a few months - when she left we were best friends, when she got back it was just strange. I can't explain but you may of had it with your friend it's a kind of atmosphere. I knew something was up but instead of dealing with it I let the friendship fade bit by bit.

We had seen each other through major tough times and by the time I made the decision to face up to it and try and sort it out she had moved and I had no way of contacting her.

I still think of her now and hope she is happy. I just wish we were still friends coz of all the shit we went through it would be lovely to share how good life is now.

Bucketsofdynomite · 22/01/2007 21:13

I've had a few friends drift away, one I do push into meeting up occasionally and we get on like a house on fire once her awkwardness subsides. I would love to be able to say somehow "FFS I'm too busy to bear grudges!"
I think people get themselves into a downward spiral of guilt once they've left something a bit too long and guilt makes you resentful/frightened of confrontation and it's easier to write off the whole friendship.
Also, newer, more convenient friendships crop up and yours becomes out of sight out of mind. I like to think it doesn't mean they love you any less and would help you with something if you asked but it's more likely you'd ask someone nearer yourself.
HTH

justJAM · 22/01/2007 21:15

friends do come and go in your life, that's the way it is, but if you have a bond I would try one more time to see if it can be sorted.

HelloMama · 22/01/2007 21:27

I feel that I really should contact her again, but I am really scared she will rebuff me once more. i know if she does, then that will be it, but I do feel quite hurt by it all. In my last email back in the summer I said that I was sorry if I put a lot of pressure on her when we moved close by, but that it had been a really difficult time for us, and I felt like a different person during that time because of all the stress. I hoped things would just pick up after what was probably a crappy 6 months for both of us.

I probably sound like a bit of a mad woman writing all this.

OP posts:
nightowl · 22/01/2007 21:45

it does seem strange that she suddenly seemed to lose interest in your friendship. i've had friends however (in the past) for years and years that ive thought were close friends yet if something had gone wrong for me, or i was feeling particularly down they've backed off completely, even when ive been there for them in similiar times. it used to upset me a great deal but in the last few years ive accepted that some people are only "happy" friends.

im not saying that's what it is, just a couple of experiences ive had. i would email or write to her i think but then im a person who likes closure!

suzycreamcheese · 22/01/2007 21:50

shit sherlock, sad that and i do think you are right..givers / takers

mamahello...let it go...

shonaspurtle · 22/01/2007 21:57

I lost touch suddenly with my best friend and flatmate from University at her instigation. I had no way of contacting her was given no reason from the breaking off of contact.

To this day (10 years since last contact) it still hurts at some level. My other flatmate from that time and I still talk about her and how strange it was that we went from being such close friends to no contact at all.

All I can hope is that she is well and happy. You never know why people cut off contact and sometimes it's just because they have other priorities.

I agree with writing a letter and saying how much you value the friendship, but you may have to accept that her life has moved on and this is a chapter that has closed.

dmo · 22/01/2007 22:43

i would write once if you do not hear from her then i would leave it and make new friends

i must be the worst friend ever dont have anybody close never done the girl thing like shop together/hoilday together, i like people i know to be far away i supose
my best friend who i do talk to about once a month lives 2 hrs away and we see each other 4 times a yr ish both of our dh get along so do our children

my other friend i hardly phone lives 5 mins walk from mine basicly we buy each other gifts for b/days etc but thats it think i have grown out of our friendship which is a shame

dh and i have friends together (couples) who we go out with and dh has a best friend he sees every wednesday night

must be growing up without a mum and just having a dad and 2 brothers.

jura · 22/01/2007 23:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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