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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

What is this?

21 replies

TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:06

Met a man a couple of weeks before lockdown. We've been on around 8 dates including me staying over at his at the weekend twice. We've bubbled...

There is something I'm not sure I should be bothered about. I know my own boundaries are my business but I have a tendency to be quite tolerant of other peoples flaws and imperfections (I have plenty of my own!) and it doesn't often serve me well.

He has a few female friends. I don't have a problem with this in the slightest.i never have. Mostly, it hasn't been a problem. Occasionally it has.

On our third date, he made a comparison between me and an ex of his. He had mentioned her in passing on every date at that point. I asked him afterwards if there was any unfinished business there. He apologised and explained that she and I share a similar experience and he was just trying to convey to me that he understood it. Fair enough. He has only mentioned her once since although I know that they are still friends and are in contact but indont know how much or how often. It just didn't work out. Fair enough. I have a close friend from similar circumstances.

He has mentioned his close friend's wife a few times. Always in very affectionate terms. She lost a close relative a couple of weeks ago and he is concerned for her. But I can't tell if the concern he expresses to me is too much. He's known her for years so not unreasonable that he'd care but lots of terms of endearment and worry about her.

He is good friends with his next door neighbours. They are having some (non marital) problems at the moment and he is her shoulder to cry on (literally). He messages me most days to say she's been sitting in his living room crying or has just gone round for a chat (I know, lockdown but that's a different matter).

Now I can't tell whether this is just who he is - everyone's friend who likes to help out (which, IME, can become a problem in it's own right); whether he's trying to make me jealous or whether he's trying to communicate that he is caring.

What would you think?

OP posts:
Oreservoir · 25/11/2020 07:10

I would think he's trying hard to impress on you what a nice guy he is. That in itself would worry me.
I'm an old cynic though so he could be a genuinely good man.

TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:14

Oreservoir

I'm happy to hear the cynics response!

Im not cynical enough, I don't think...

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TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:27

Tbf, he's mentioned ex girlfriends more than I'd expect generally anyway - one who was a nymphomaniac many years ago, one whose cat slept on his feet when he stayed at hers and another who said he gave the best messages...

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pumpkinpie01 · 25/11/2020 07:32

He seems to have a lot of women that he helps out ! And why keep talking about ex's why would you be interested, very strange.

Namechangedforthisoct2 · 25/11/2020 07:33

Yup waaaaaaay too many talk of exes and don’t you find it funny how with the couple next door it’s the lady who he’s supporting and not the husband?
This would put me off.

SpillingTheTea · 25/11/2020 07:37

Why is so keen to be the hero to a woman who's down in the dumps. I don't get it. He sounds like a sleaze ball and the mention of exes is too much.
I'd make a dash for the exit now. He seems like he is portraying himself to be this lovely man who helps all women. Just women.

Resisterance · 25/11/2020 07:40

Sounds like he's got an insecure attachment style, likes you and is trying to make you jealous so you stay with him

LilyLongJohn · 25/11/2020 07:43

He's obviously mentioned various women once too many times if you're not a cynic and have picked up on it. I don't quite know what to make of it. Red flags if he was slagging off an ex but he's not doing that, red flags if he's got mentionitus, but he's not doing that either, it just seems to be a lot of women he's talking about. Sounds like he likes to be a rescuer - understanding how you feel, his mates wife, his ex. Knight in shining armour

lollipoprainbow · 25/11/2020 07:43

I have the same issue ! We're not an item but we are very friendly and see each other a lot, he has lots of female friends and is friends with his exes and sees them a lot too. Whenever I see him he seems to mention another woman!

TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:47

He speaks well of the men too and is supportive practically - will help out a mate if he can- he's helped out another male friend this week.

But he seems to be emotionally supportive of these women.

He does offer support to the male neighbour but it's the female one who turns up invited (apparently...) and cries on him for an hour or just wants to chat.

If he's trying to make me jealous, that won't work. It will make me think he's disrespectful though 🤷🏻‍♀️

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TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:48

it just seems to be a lot of women he's talking about

Yes that's it.

Not interested in a rescuer. I was with one once and as soon as I no longer needed rescuing, he created the problems he could then rescue me from!

OP posts:
category12 · 25/11/2020 07:53

I'm not keen on rescuer blokes, it tends to lead to comforting women with their cocks.

TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:58

Yeah, I've heard that before too.

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TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 07:59

He's known some of these women for years. I don't know how many exes he's friends with. Most of them are married or in LTRs.

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MissDoLots · 25/11/2020 08:51

I think either way he is lacking in emotional intelligence, and that would put me off.

TiggerDatter · 25/11/2020 09:02

I think he thinks he’s wonderful, so you should be grateful he’s going out with you. Don’t be.

feelingveryvenemousandangry · 25/11/2020 09:07

Huge narc. Always has to be the saviour of women. Avoid like fuck

JurassicParkAha · 25/11/2020 09:13

Seems to have some kind of rescuer complex. Would put me off.

The kind of men who gets his self worth from being able to support and rescue women. I dated one like this - it meant he'd spend our time together fielding calls and rushing to help friends constantly. All that people pleasing/rescuing meant he had no real time to invest into me. Not to mention, some of the women thought him being nice meant more. But he didn't want to be bad guy and tell them otherwise. Was exhausting.

Also, knowing so much about ex-es so early on is red flag. Unless it was a super serious recent relationship you shouldn't know anything, certainly not this level of detail. It's like his entire life is defined by the women in his life. Very odd.

Bunnymumy · 25/11/2020 10:20

Possibly a narcissist setting it up so that he can be like 'I can have anyone, women love me' down the line. Implying he is settling for you. Or just using them to generally make you jealous and insecure.

mindutopia · 25/11/2020 10:26

Out of context, I don't think it's necessarily a red flag. He could very well be a nice guy with lots of female friends who he has absolutely no romantic interest in at all. Dh had mostly female friends when I first met him and he was a confidante to them, and it's true, he is genuinely a really nice guy. He was also friends with their partners and we are all still friends now (12+ years later). Nothing weird about it given the context.

But I would keep an eye out about this rescuer complex thing. Female friends is one thing, but friends who are always in distress and needing to rescue them to get some sense of self-worth is a worrying trait. Only you will really be able to read the broader context of these situations though.

TheSkysGoneOut · 25/11/2020 11:53

,mindutopia*

Your response seems to fit most with what I know of him so far. Obviously, I can only give a snapshot of him and not detail every aspect!

I'm 50/50 at the moment.

I'm going over at the weekend. I'll see what it's like then. Fast losing interest though.

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