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

Uncomfortable about her past & worried I'm not enough?

63 replies

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 15:05

This is a bit long but I want to give background

So me and DD (6) have been alone for a while. I recently came out which being in my late 20s felt like I was turning up to the party when everyone else had done the mingling and getting to know you part. Did the online dating thing which was horrid but then met a lovely woman through a new friend from a course I was studying in the evenings. We took things slow. Built a frienship and a solid relationship I thought. It was a bit of a revelation for me having such strong feelings for someone, I had played at 'being in love' before but this was just something else. Something real. She is a couple years older than me. I was immediately attracted to her. A sharp sense of humour, very intelligent, steady job, just adulting really well which is a change of pace in my life. Just about everything I could have dreamed of. Not put off by my late coming out, lack of experience or my DD. Cherry on the cake actually that she was great with her, one minute she is this dependable presence in my life helping with mundane stuff I have always wanted and the next she is sitting on the floor playing games with DD and conspiring with her to talk me into ice cream before dinner. DD and I moved in with her and I felt my life was starting in a new brilliant direction.

Sounds great right? I thought so too. But then I met her friend group.
We went for dinner and it...it was eye opening. Her friends were very welcoming at first but there was also a sort of disbelief that my OH had a steady gf and one with a kid. Even more shocked we had moved in with her. There were a lot of comments about how domestic it seemed and how I wasn't what they ever expected their friend to go for. OH I could tell was uncomfortable and annoyed by it and was very sweet saying it just took meeting the right woman. More talk followed and as the drinks flowed my OHs friends began talking about the OH's past. It became apparent that being 'experienced' and 'worldly' would be an understatements for OH...I had no idea. It became quite clear that her friends were confused by her 'settling' for me because I am, well, I admit I am a bit repressed and introverted, probably why it took so long to come out.

When we got home I started asking questions about her past relationships and sexual experiences. When we had done this earlier in our relationship she had said she had only had one serious relationship and a few casual things. Turns out she left out a lit of details, like all of the one night stands, casual FWBs, sex clubs, and other various things. OH got very defensive and eventually snapped, said that there wasn't a kink or sexual combination she hasn't at least tried. I have been very self conscious about the difference in our level of experience, but this just made it seem worse. Some of the things her friends implied and talked about, they make me very uncomfortable and I now doubt if being with me can ever be enough for her. I'm never going to be anything but vanilla. Coming out felt daring and I still struggle to feel okay with accepting the things I desire.

OH says all of that was in her past. That she was lashing out because of her family's rejection and that her sexual exploits were more about hurting herself and proving she could do anything she wanted when she was struggling to know herself. I just don't know if I can believe it. If I can look at her the same again and trust that what we have is enough. I feel so self-conscious and afraid that I am boring her. Also, a small part of me I hate to admit to is worried how people will look at me if my OH has this sort of reputation. Do they think I am now doing some of the things she has done or that she has settled for me?

I am just so confused and questioning everything about our relationship now. What else was she hiding? Am I and my domestic little life really enough for her? Can I trust her when she says we are?

OP posts:
Cigarettesaftersex1 · 22/09/2022 15:13

I'd say to anyone, her past and the number of people she's slept with isn't really anything to do with you and she's done nothing wrong. If you can't accept it though then end the relationship, don't keep questioning her, it isn't fair

Joystir59 · 22/09/2022 15:22

I think you need to develop your own lesbian friendship group outside of your relationship. This will give you confidence and somewhere to take your concerns about your own coming out process and identity- it's all new territory for you whilst your partner has been around the lesbian block a few times. She sounds great btw and has absolutely done nothing wrong. I was in the same position as you when I came out. My partner was my first lesbian love, but she'd been in previous relationships with women as well as exploring various kinks and having one night stands. I benefited from all that experience, as she was a mature and well rounded character by the time we met. I struggled in similar ways to you. I only discovered my true self including my lesbian self seven years later, when we split up and I then starting forming friendships with other lesbians. I'm not saying you will split up but you definitely need to stop worrying about her past- she has chosen YOU!

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 15:26

Cigarettesaftersex1 · 22/09/2022 15:13

I'd say to anyone, her past and the number of people she's slept with isn't really anything to do with you and she's done nothing wrong. If you can't accept it though then end the relationship, don't keep questioning her, it isn't fair

It's not even the number of people she has slept with I am having trouble with. That is her business. It's the fact she hid it and what the sex consisted of. Multiple partners and some of the things I had to google to know what they were. I just can't understand how the lovely person I know could be into any of these things, she has never mentioned it beyond being really casual that anything I want in the bedroom she will go along with. She says she doesn't need any of that and is happy with us as we are but...can someone with such a past really be happy with what I we have now? I feel insecure. And the fact we are living in a small town I am now paranoid that everyone knows about her past and are thinking I am now into those things too. I just wish her friends hadn't said anything. Everything was fine before, but now I keep having these worries.

OP posts:
Octomore · 22/09/2022 15:34

When we got home I started asking questions about her past relationships and sexual experiences.

This was your mistake. And she should have shut down this line of questioning rather than responding.

Someone's previous sexual experiences are none of your business (unless we're talking STDs, which isn't the case here), and have no bearing on your relationship.

You need to get over this, because you are extrapolating from her previous experiences in a way that makes no sense.

zonky · 22/09/2022 15:34

Are you putting your daughter first Op @Rockingtheboatgf

It sounds like you're very invested in this relationship which may or may not work out.

Why have you allowed your housing situation (and your daughter's) to be dependent on someone else?

TwowaystoUrmston · 22/09/2022 15:35

In the nicest possible way OP this is 100% about your insecurities, your OH has done nothing wrong. And her reasoning for why she did the things she did sound entirely plausible to me, she sounds self aware and as though she has worked through her issues and is in a more stable and happy place now, with you. Actions speak louder than words OP and it sounds like her actions show she's happy and committed to you, don't drive her away for things that happened in her past.

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 15:37

Joystir59 · 22/09/2022 15:22

I think you need to develop your own lesbian friendship group outside of your relationship. This will give you confidence and somewhere to take your concerns about your own coming out process and identity- it's all new territory for you whilst your partner has been around the lesbian block a few times. She sounds great btw and has absolutely done nothing wrong. I was in the same position as you when I came out. My partner was my first lesbian love, but she'd been in previous relationships with women as well as exploring various kinks and having one night stands. I benefited from all that experience, as she was a mature and well rounded character by the time we met. I struggled in similar ways to you. I only discovered my true self including my lesbian self seven years later, when we split up and I then starting forming friendships with other lesbians. I'm not saying you will split up but you definitely need to stop worrying about her past- she has chosen YOU!

Thank you. I think I am overthinking it cause it's all new information and has come out of the blue. If OH had explained it herself before dinner I might have taken it better. I don't have any lesbian friends to talk to so I still feel kind of sheltered and wondering if I am overthinking this. One of my OH friends in her group is gay too and it was just the casual way they discussed things I would have considered quite risqué that left me feeling caught off guard. That and their surprise at her dating someone like me made me self conscious.

OH has never mentioned wanting anything more elaborate sexually and we have been, so far as I think, having a really good time in that area. I know I am benefiting from her experience, and she has never pushed for anything I haven't wanted. Quite the opposite. I blushed so hard the first time she had a really frank conversation with me about what I wanted in bed. The idea of the kind of openness was shocking. It just hasn't been my experience to be so open and so accepting about things I would have has seen as perverted or sinful when growing up. Trying to shake off all my repressed thinking. I think I have just gotten caught up in my own head about it and worrying what other people will think.

Figuring out how to set aside who she was, what she was into, and who she is now is tricker than it sounds. I know in my head I should do that but my brain just won't shut up second guessing it all.

OP posts:
TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 15:41

Do you love her?

Aquamarine1029 · 22/09/2022 15:42

It's not even the number of people she has slept with I am having trouble with. That is her business. It's the fact she hid it and what the sex consisted of.

She didn't hide anything because it's none of your fucking business, and you were 100% in the wrong to even ask her about it. You should be apologising to her, not judging her.

This relationship is over.

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 16:01

TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 15:41

Do you love her?

Very much. I never would have introduced her to DD or moved in with her if I didn't. I think that is why I am so unbalanced by all this.

I thought there was nothing about her that could surprise me but then there was this whole chunk of who she is or maybe was(?) that she had hidden until her fiends dropped her in it. Like, we did the typical discussion of past partners thing and knowing what I do now I can't help but look back and think she essentially lied before. If she can lie about that, are there other things she lied about? If its not a big deal and not something she is into now as she claims then why hide it in the first place? It is doubly annoying because I am pretty sure looking back she was the one who brought up the past partners discussion when we had it. Why do that and then lie? If she had even just said she had a wild phase that would have been a bit of a heads up. I want to move past this but my mind keeps going back and raking over it.

Very conflicting thoughts. One moment I think I have settled it in my head and then a worry or question will bubble up.

OP posts:
mrsbitaly · 22/09/2022 16:05

It sounds like what you have is lovely I do understand why you would feel anxiety with knowing if your enough but hasn't she shown you? Doesn't actions speak louder than words? You may feel vanilla but what if what you are offering is what she wants? Maybe she doesn't want the crazy life she had before and maybe she's happy with the sex after all why would she want you to move into her home with a child if she wasn't serious. Please don't judge her or be ashamed that you will be tarred with the same brush as it sounds like she's done nothing but show you kindness

RodiganReed · 22/09/2022 16:11

If this was a man interrogating his partner about her past we'd call it abusive. You really need to read carefully here - your partner would have been within her rights to tell you to piss right off with your questions but instead she was willing to make herself vulnerable and explained to you that her past behaviour didn't come from a good place. If you can't accept and empathise with that then I'm not sure you deserve her, sadly.

TabithaTittlemouse · 22/09/2022 16:11

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 16:01

Very much. I never would have introduced her to DD or moved in with her if I didn't. I think that is why I am so unbalanced by all this.

I thought there was nothing about her that could surprise me but then there was this whole chunk of who she is or maybe was(?) that she had hidden until her fiends dropped her in it. Like, we did the typical discussion of past partners thing and knowing what I do now I can't help but look back and think she essentially lied before. If she can lie about that, are there other things she lied about? If its not a big deal and not something she is into now as she claims then why hide it in the first place? It is doubly annoying because I am pretty sure looking back she was the one who brought up the past partners discussion when we had it. Why do that and then lie? If she had even just said she had a wild phase that would have been a bit of a heads up. I want to move past this but my mind keeps going back and raking over it.

Very conflicting thoughts. One moment I think I have settled it in my head and then a worry or question will bubble up.

Don’t push her away. The past is the past.

Clymene · 22/09/2022 16:14

If you hadn't met her friends before, how long have you been seeing one another?

Musti · 22/09/2022 16:14

Listen op, you have a great and loving relationship. She is great with your dd too. What she did between consensual adults is absolutely fine. She puts no pressure on you and you say you benefit from her experience.

i don’t like the sound of her friends though

TwowaystoUrmston · 22/09/2022 16:16

can someone with such a past really be happy with what I we have now?

I suppose I could be said to have had 'such a past', I did a lot of recreational drugs and had my fair share of non vanilla sex as a result. My (by comparison fairly vanilla I suppose) sex life with my DH is a million times better and I am 100% happy with it. It doesn't feel 'vanilla' to me at all, the intimacy I have with him is by far the sexiest thing I have ever experienced and it blows my mind in a way the other stuff never did or could have.

PP's are right, she hasn't lied to you, her past is literally none of your business and her friends had no right to tell you about it. If they hadn't you would still believe everything you previously did about her and how she feels about you, because that's what her actions show you every day. You need to believe her words now though as well as her actions, that stuff doesn't matter to her and she's not feeling the lack of it in her relationship with you. She's happy, and so were you until you let stuff that has no relevance to you and her in the here and now affect you.

I genuinely don't mean to be harsh but you are in danger of fucking up something (from what you've posted) really, really good. I get your insecurities, more than you can possibly know, but this situation deserves a superhuman effort from you to override them and trust that your OH is telling you the truth when she says she only wants you and she's satisfied with what you have together. Your relationship sounds lovely, so don't fuck it up!

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 16:17

zonky · 22/09/2022 15:34

Are you putting your daughter first Op @Rockingtheboatgf

It sounds like you're very invested in this relationship which may or may not work out.

Why have you allowed your housing situation (and your daughter's) to be dependent on someone else?

You have made an incorrect assumption that by moving in with OH this month that I have made my and DDs housing dependent on my OH. A ridiculous idea. I have been taking care of myself and DD all her life since DDs father is as useful as a chocolate teapot. Despite differences with my family and DD's father's family I know in an emergency they would help (shit for day to day things but always there when it counts), work full time, have savings and options should I ever need to leave. The assumption that a woman moving in with a new partner is making herself dependent on that partner is outdated and shortsighted. I learned at a young age to always depend on myself first and to make plans as such.

DD always comes first. I lived a lie for years, then was overly cautious about starting a new relationship, and finally did so at a snails pace because DD always comes first.

I am invested in this relationship because, is that not what you do when you get into a relationship? You invest a part of yourself. You seek happiness so you invest time, effort and emotionally in the hopes is flourishes and the investment pays off with a stable relationship and love. That is how you build a relationship. I don't do casual. We moved slowly and have been together for a year now. It would be impossible to not be invested at that point no?

OP posts:
Chattycathydoll · 22/09/2022 16:18

She even told you WHY she did it- and ‘because I was young and wanted to try it’ would still be an adequate reason, not preventing her from being happy with you- and you’re still overthinking it.

This is 100% about your insecurities, it seems like she has dealt with hers. She had a wild past, introspected, figured out her motivations and what would make her happy, and is now content with you. Isn’t that the goal of life really? To figure out what motivates us and what we really want? She seems like a great partner. Perhaps some counselling would help you. Not meant as an insult- I found it helpful.

Aquamarine1029 · 22/09/2022 16:26

You are your own worst enemy, and after the way you've treated your partner, I'd be surprised if she doesn't kick you out. Who needs someone living in your home who is judging your past and calling you a liar?

Pixiedust1234 · 22/09/2022 16:28

I'm confused. You said you have recently come out. Took a few months at old before meeting this person. Next paragraph you said you and dd have moved in with her? How long between meeting and moving in??

If you don't want to hear certain answers then don't ask the questions. Unless her previous sex life would harm you (STIs) then its none of your business.

You keep repeatedly saying how adult she is, and how you need her adulting...added to the above makes you seem incredibly immature. I think you need to move out and stand on your own feet for a while and get some maturity. That doesn't mean break up, it means learning to be an adult.

Clymene · 22/09/2022 16:28

How long have you known her OP?

Calandor · 22/09/2022 16:29

So she's experimented a lot and discovered you're exactly her cup of tea. Better than her not trying much and feeling trapped.

Everyone has a past, focus on your present.

Rockingtheboatgf · 22/09/2022 16:29

Clymene · 22/09/2022 16:14

If you hadn't met her friends before, how long have you been seeing one another?

A year. Three months of that was friends with a definite spark before it became anything more solid. Moved in together three weeks ago. I had met some of her work colleagues and old friends from university and she had met my family (as awkward as that was) and my best friend. There was no real pressure to meet her friends until we moved in together and to be honest with work shifts it hadn't ever really worked out before. I had briefly met one of them when they picked OH up for a charity pub quiz thing and had been invited to a baby christening for another, but I had work. Then it was just a case of me going along to their monthly dinner to properly meet them all last night.

OP posts:
KillinTime · 22/09/2022 16:31

I say this in the nicest way, but it’s absolutely none of your business.

what she’s done in the past, HER past, is her business.

She could have fucked anyone and everyone, but she isn’t now. And just because it isn’t what you’ve done, or something you can imagine doing, doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it.

I find it mental that people will shame a person over their past when it contains sex. It doesn’t change a person, she’s still that amazing woman you’ve started to get to know, she just has a wacky past.

leave it where it is. And move on. She’s with you, if she didn’t want to be, she wouldn’t.

GreenManalishi · 22/09/2022 16:35

I just can't understand how the lovely person I know could be into any of these things

There are plenty of lovely people who are into all sorts of things that you're not. It doesn't mean they're not lovely.

If you're looking for someone who's past matches yours, which is by the sounds of it fairly narrow, then keep looking, she's not the one for you. Let her go, because this is a rot that will take over your relationship unless you can get a handle on your insecurities and open your mind and appreciate what is in front of you.

She hid nothing from you. You made assumptions based on your own experience.