Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

End the friendship or persevere?

75 replies

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 17:29

Was going to name change for this but then couldn't be arsed....Apologies for length of post.

Have had two difficult incidents with a friend over the past year. First one was when she had a go at me in front of my DH and her DH for not being sufficiently 'respectful' towards my DH. As background, although she now works she hasn't done so for most of her marriage to a lovely but chauvinistic DH. She has DC who have in the past aped her DH and treated her very rudely. Whilst DH and I are by no means a perfect married couple we are a very good partnership. He doesn't treat housework or childcare as doing me a favour whereas in her marriage this has all fallen to her. Apparently I don't give him enough credit in public for this.

Second incident was at a friend's house. She again launched into me but this time saying that she didn't trust me as I only say supportive things to her. Lots of other stuff too about her problems with me - none of which she'd ever mentioned when sober. After this repeat performance I realised that a pattern was emerging despite a decade of very close friendship up to that point. We met to try and clear the air but the conversation didn't go well as she told me that I was clearly depressed and needed counselling. I had expected some sort of apology but none was forthcoming. I said I needed to take a big step back from the friendship. She then suggested we 'divide up' our mutual friends and never see each other again.

To clarify, I've never suffered from depression and am generally speaking a very contented person. She on the other hand does suffer from depression and generally fragile mental health. She's frequently commented that she finds it odd that I don't get depressed.

She sent me a very long email justifying herself but then saying she'd rather have me in her life than not. I replied saying that I wasn't family and she should feel no obligation to continue with the friendship. I suspect this wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Since then I relented somewhat and have made efforts to build bridges. These have seemingly been gratefully received however there has been another incident this week whereby she has let my DH down rather badly. I'm now thinking was I foolish to try and repair things and that it might be better to 'break up'. RL friends told me to ask MN for advice so here I am! Any thoughts gratefully received.

OP posts:
66babe · 07/07/2021 17:33

I would respond with another very precise email saying "what a shame that despite our best efforts to allegedly accept each other's differences - I was right all along and you really are just not a very nice person
I wish you all the very very best in your life but I have absolutely no wish to be any further part of it "

And that's it .. no more contact
Ever
Sounds as if you and your DP are a good team , you don't need this shit

LtDansleg · 07/07/2021 17:56

She’s sounds like an utter twat. She’s trying to make you feel bad about your life so she feels better about hers. I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone so toxic

Myrrfect · 07/07/2021 17:59

Divide up mutual friends?

Er what.... do they get any choice?

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:01

Hmm thank you. I suspect quite a lot of projection from her onto me. I also think she's struggling with the menopause and turning to drink and drugs rather than HRT. I'm no angel and do put away far too much wine on a night out but I have never turned on her or any other friend. I'm a happy drunk 🥴

OP posts:
Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:02

@Myrrfect

Divide up mutual friends?

Er what.... do they get any choice?

Exactly!! That was such an odd suggestion. We are a group of middle aged women and I know the others would not appreciate being asked to pick sides.
OP posts:
OldEvilOwl · 07/07/2021 18:06

I would tell her to fuck off if she had a go at me like that in public - rude! Walk away from this one OP

TheFoundations · 07/07/2021 18:11

Why do you want her in your life?

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:14

@TheFoundations

Why do you want her in your life?
I think I'm worried I'm giving up on someone vulnerable. And because we were so close and had some great times together. My first instinct was to end it though. I suspect I'm overthinking it and also not wanting to make it awkward for our mutual friends.
OP posts:
Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:15

@OldEvilOwl

I would tell her to fuck off if she had a go at me like that in public - rude! Walk away from this one OP
Loving this certainty!! I need to channel some of that.
OP posts:
PearlNextDoor · 07/07/2021 18:16

Wow, she needs you to buy in to her narrative, the one that makes her feel good. If your husband is happy doing his share of housework and you earn yr own money, i suspect that doesnt make her feel good. So she had to believe you were disrespectful!!

Doyoulookback · 07/07/2021 18:16

Just no!

Doyoulookback · 07/07/2021 18:17

Unbelievable that such crazies still exist. Not enough credit in public. Confused Her values are clearly different from yours (Or most people’s) I’d steer clear ...

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:19

Yeah I did always worry about her saying that the word feminist has negative connotations and she would never identify as one. I on the other hand am a fully paid up member of the sisterhood 💪🏻

OP posts:
KaptainKaveman · 07/07/2021 18:19

Who on earth would suggest dividing up a friendship group? she sounds awful. get rid!

Figgygal · 07/07/2021 18:22

How long have you been friends for?
Such a shame

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:23

She said in her email that she reacts as a kicked dog would and also that she reverts back to her teenage self. She did suffer trauma in her teenage years. I knew all of this and always did my absolute best to support her. I feel like this has started to make her resent me though. Like I haven't gone through the same shit hence the depression that she's invented for me?

OP posts:
Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:23

@Figgygal

How long have you been friends for? Such a shame
Well over ten years
OP posts:
Wouldyoudothesame · 07/07/2021 18:25

She obviously feels threatened by you in some way. Perhaps she feels that she has been genuine with you in a 'warts and all' way and that you have only shared the positive side of your life with her. I say this because her comments on you only being supportive, putting you down because you don't credit your OH enough and never being depressed make it seem like she thinks your life is pretty rosie and she's looking for a relatable friend with real problems like her. Perhaps she feels vulnerable for sharig her problems with you when you haven't with her and so the friendship feels uncomfortable for her now? If she has been havig therapy if can be difficult to continue relating to friends in the same way when you can see they don't address their issues and you are facing them head in and drowning as a result. Just offering a different perspective. Any way, you have the choice to be really open and honest and thrash this out....or walk away. If you do the latter I would still recommend having a good look at the role you have played in the breakdown of the friendship... usually it takes two. Doesn't mean her actions are right though obviously x

AmberIsACertainty · 07/07/2021 18:28

She sounds like an abusive gaslighting alcoholic? Her DH isn't lovely, he's a prick who is rude to his DW, doesn't pull his weight at home and is happy for his DC to be rude to her. I'd drop them both.

See your other friends without this one, if you and they want to. She doesn't (or shouldn't!) control them so she doesn't get to decide who they or you can be friends with. Don't have any conversation with her about that, not even to explain why you're not entertaining her daft idea to divvy them up.

She's not your friend she's a POS. The friendship would have been over for me the first time she spoke to me like that, whether it was in private or in public.

I'm going with: she sounds jealous that you have a better relationship than her, drinks to cope with her shitty situation, picks fights when drunk to try to control other people into being like her, because she's desperate to normalise her marriage so she doesn't have to face the reality that it's a shit one.

Sparkletastic · 07/07/2021 18:30

Appreciate your perspective Would. I think there is absolutely an element of her wanting to relate to me and not finding the same issues as she's experienced. That said I absolutely don't always present a rosie view. I'm an open book and when I've had struggles I have always talked them through with her and other close friends.

And interesting you mention counselling. She does indeed have it and is a practitioner herself. That was her later in life career that has made her feel much better about herself in some respects.

OP posts:
AmberIsACertainty · 07/07/2021 18:33

think I'm worried I'm giving up on someone vulnerable. And because we were so close and had some great times together. My first instinct was to end it though. I suspect I'm overthinking it and also not wanting to make it awkward for our mutual friends.

OP you're not responsible for any of these people or their feelings.

happinessischocolate · 07/07/2021 18:34

I wouldn't even bother responding to her or ending the friendship. I'd just move on without her, because you have mutual friends it may be easier just to grey rock her, be polite if you see her in the friendship group, but no longer be friends outside of the friendship group.

I had this a few years back, didn't make my issue anyone else's but I no longer invited her to anything I was arranging and she kept turning down invites from others so they just stopped inviting her and she's no longer part of the group.

AmberIsACertainty · 07/07/2021 18:38

And interesting you mention counselling. She does indeed have it and is a practitioner herself.

Well this is a big red flag. She's using her psychological skills against you. I feel sorry for the people she "treats", she's totally unsuited to the job. Counsellors can't diagnose by the way, not in the UK.

chickenyhead · 07/07/2021 18:42

Can you move her across to the acquaintance list surreptitiously? I would stop investing in this relationship and think up some cut her dead quips to end humiliation:

We can't all be pampered pusses can we?

DH married me because of who I am, not who you think I should be

It isnt the 1950s anymore, I can work and everything

AmberIsACertainty · 07/07/2021 18:44

I'm a happy drunk

You're just happy. Alcohol doesn't change people in that way. IMO it brings the real them out to the surface though. Like how alcohol doesn't make men fight each other either. Being a violent thug makes men fight each other.