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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

Really shocked by friend's comment

34 replies

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 09:46

I'm just wondering what others would think of this comment and how you would react to it.
I was in a very emotionally abusive relationship with a stereotypical "bad lad" type. He dumped me two years ago, but I shamefully let him walk all over me and mess with my head for quite some time afterwards, and only put my foot down, blocked and stopped talking to him recently.
My close friend knows quite a bit of what I went through, but I rarely see her these days. I saw her recently and when I told her that I had cut off communication with him she said, "Who knows? Maybe ten years down the road you'll meet up again and reconnect."
I would never think of telling a friend of mine this. I'd be encouraging them to continue to stay away. And this relationship would never work out in 10 years.
Would you be surprised if your friend said that?

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Bluerussian · 30/11/2018 09:54

I know how you feel but your friend didn't know what to say and just said something for the sake of something to say. Not a good thing to do but I'm sure she meant no harm at al but don't even close friendships have limits.

Please don't let it upset you. Good for you in moving on from a bad relationship Wine, and may your upward journey continue. Please don't let any of this spoil your friendship.

Doyoumind · 30/11/2018 10:02

IME people who haven't been in an abusive relationship just don't get it. Some do but some just think you were mismatched or equally to blame. It was a stupid thing for her to say. Explain to her why it was and how her comment was hurtful.

Dirtybadger · 30/11/2018 10:09

She may well have just been saying what she thought you wanted to hear. It's difficult knowing what to say to people in abusive relationships as being really negative about the abuser is often not received well. If you have a history of taking him back, etc, she may well agree with everything you feel about him but think it isn't going to be heard well by you

Or she just doesn't get it. Which is also common unfortunately.

SoyDora · 30/11/2018 10:11

People don’t always say the right thing. They don’t always know what to say. I wouldn’t overthink it.

ravenmum · 30/11/2018 10:12

By "reconnect" are you sure she meant a relationship and not just "maybe you'll bump into him in Tesco and it won't even upset you"?
But yes, people love to say that the blame is never one-sided. Until they experience something similar themselves. You know more than she does; you could either try to educate her or just put it in the "stuff people say" box.

OutPinked · 30/11/2018 10:14

Agreed with pp’s that she probably found it awkward and didn’t know what to say. You find people say the strangest things when they’re attempting to empathise with a situation they’ve never personally experienced.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 30/11/2018 10:17

I have had this sort of thing. They just don't understandis all

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 10:19

Thank you so much everyone. I was just really shocked and definitely overthinking, and don't want to let this affect our friendship.
And Dirtybadger, you're right... I hadn't really thought of it, but yes, I used to be desperate to take him back for a long time, and that's probably what I would have wanted to hear back then. It's only been recently that I've really put my foot down about not wanting to be messed with.

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Unicornandbows · 30/11/2018 10:19

Well she probably didn't know what to say you have broken up two years ago so she probably thought you still not over it and might be pining for him.

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 10:21

She has been single all her life and only had casual dates. And yes, I think all along she thought that it wasn't so much abuse as us just not "matching."

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Avegemitesandwich · 30/11/2018 10:21

I really wouldn't overthink this. People say things that might make you go Hmm all the time, and she might be thinking 'oh shit that was a stupid thing to say' as well.

Forget it.

MsLexic · 30/11/2018 10:23

Oh I have had that... when I split up with my ex husbeast. He was physically and mentally abusive.
It's complete misunderstanding of what abuse is.
If in doubt and needing support contact Women's Aid or visit their forums which are full of people who understand.
PS. Tell her her comment was inappropriate and random.

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 10:30

MsLexic, I'm so sorry to hear but I'm glad you're out of that situation. Hope you are doing much better.

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spanishwife · 30/11/2018 10:33

"My close friend knows quite a bit of what I went through"

I bet she knows a lot less than you think. We as women have a tendency to down play bad things that happen to us, you might have subconsciously brushed it off when discussing it with her? Or made it seem like it was just a bad relationship, rather than an abusive one. The fact you said 'bad lad' for example, is playing it down completely if the abuse was bad enough to be upset as this.

I'm not trying to put any blame on you whatsoever, it just sounds like she maybe doesn't quite get how damaging it was for you.

StormTreader · 30/11/2018 10:34

People LOVE to think that everyone can get along with everyone, and everything can be lovely and nice and friends all singing together.
Unfortunately that simply isn't possible if you are enforcing your own boundaries - there will always be people that you just can't be around for your own mental health.

Purpleisthenewblue1 · 30/11/2018 10:45

People don’t get things unless they have experienced it. You do get vacant types who yes think we can all get along nicely with a bit of give and take. Extremely annoying comment IMO.

Safeandwarm · 30/11/2018 10:51

I think a lot of people believe men ‘will grow out of it’.

InfiniteVariety · 30/11/2018 10:53

Sounds like the sort of bland thing somebody says if they haven't really been listening properly in the first place

Luxembourgmama · 30/11/2018 11:01

I heard that kind of shite too after i broke up with my ex. Its extremely damaging you left him because he was a prick. ANyone that suggests you get back together has serious problems themselves.

Miljah · 30/11/2018 11:15

Luxembourgmama - but that's not what her friend said, was it?

And maybe, because we don't know exactly what went on, the friend, from experience, wouldn't be that surprised if the OP did get back with 'the bad lad' as she's done it before, having taken 2 years to get this 'lad' out of her life already!

sonjadog · 30/11/2018 11:56

I suspect she either doesn't know as much as you think she does, or she has forgotten some of it. I live abroad and often see my old friends once a year at the most. Sometimes they come out with comments that would have suited the person I was 5-10 years ago at least, and that have little to do with who I am now. It's just because we haven't seen each other for a long time it takes a while to adjust to each other again. It might be the same with your friend if you don't see each other often. She's still saying what you would have wanted to hear some years ago and hasn't yet adjusted to who you are now. In any case, don't sweat it. The most important thing is that you know who this guy is and that you don't want contact, not what your friend thinks.

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 15:35

Thank you all for replying.
The comment about her not really listening is sadly very true. She doesn't really remember a lot of what I have said recently, though I suppose I put this down to her just having a lot of other things to think about. It's not just me she's been like that with.
There's no way in hell I'll get back with him now. But because it's taken me so long, she (and a few others in my life) probably think we might get back together, which I think is valid. There just comes a point where you snap after allowing yourself to be treated like crap for a long time, and that's the point that I reached right now.
I'm going to just put this down to her lack of experience and the fact that she doesn't tend to listen that well, and move on.

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Miljah · 30/11/2018 19:29

Waterbird- Can I be honest? I have a friend (DFrd) whose DH apparently completely out-of-the-blue, walked out of the family home, eight years ago, aged about 50. We work in the same company but see each other about once every 2 weeks.

Naturally my DFrd was devastated. We gathered around. Hours/weeks/years were spent dissecting - Just....Why? What did she say/do? What did he say/do? Over and over, hour after hour. But she insisted, a good 3 if not 4 years post-separation, that she still 'luuuved him/love of her life/never stop loving him' etc- tho he was long gone, just with the odd 'trying to control' text or weird, attempted controlly-action. I readily admit that after the 8th or more weekend away, 4-5 years later, when her record hadn't changed; I, (and one other mate), weren't really listening anymore. Yeh, yeh, yeh. Our opinion had been sought, our advice given. And summarily ignored (as, how could we possibly know what it was like?.... Hmm )

She was furious that we weren't taking her life-altering experience 'seriously' (while asserting we could have no idea what it was like..). But, frankly, had her DH walked back into her life there and then, she'd've taken him back in an instant. Might your friend 'suspect' the same of you? Has she compartmentalised that part of 'you' that she's metaphorically 'eye-rolled' about, while separating out the 'you' that isn't entangled with this 'bad lad' i.e.the one she wants to be friends with?

As it is, Dfrd was actually 'moving on' with her life, albeit slowly, but we saw no evidence of it, to the extent we stopped 'going away' for weekends, as we never knew when one Pinot too many would set her off into attacking us in the absence of her long-gone DH. It was all rather boring, tbh. I am not suggesting you're doing this, BTW! But it took another, much longer-term friend of hers, also bitterly divorced, to tell her, 8 years in, that 'enough was enough'. DFrd finally listened to her! Now she has packed up the 'love of my life/will always love him' shizz. And is with another bloke Grin

Does your friend really believe you won't go back? You sort of need to convince her.

"She doesn't really remember a lot of what I have said recently"- bear in mind, it's of forensic importance to you- you've had a 'life revelation'; whereas she maybe saw it for what it was waaaay back. And has, with the best will in the world- lost interest in that aspect of your life. Though I bet would be there in an instant if you called out for help!

ravenmum · 30/11/2018 20:22

It's been 4 years since my ex left. I have moved on, have had a couple of new relationships, but my anger over discovering his affair definitely helped with that. Much harder if there's no explanation. I'm sure your friend must have been a PITA @Miljah - I was probably only that bitter for 2 years or so - but I'm afraid that also, maybe you really didn't understand her life-altering experience. I was on a good level of ADs for a couple of years after, and even now, I still think about what my ex did, just not with as much emotion. We were together 20 years. It's a long time.

WaterBird · 30/11/2018 20:33

Hi Miljah and Ravenmum,
Thanks for your comments.
I have really found moving on to be difficult and am hoping that now that I've blocked him for good, I won't be tempted to contact him.
Yes, my friends are probably tired of me always talking about him, but I can see from the other side that this would eventually get boring. I'm going to make a real effort not to do that.

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