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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

Feel let down by DW

41 replies

rkahic · 27/08/2024 09:57

As all Facebook users do, constantly get suggestions for people I might know and groups, recently started getting these for two men who on looking had DW as mutual friends, nothing unusual in that , she has far more friends on fb than me of both sexes, but then noticed that one of the suggested groups has all three of them on and related to her birthplace, had a look at their profiles then and only thing in common is they all went to school together, then realised that one of them was her long term boyfriend and sexual partner from school, she’d been sending him messages and wishing him a happy birthday on this group, I know people look up old flames etc and it’s probably a complete overreaction but it really upset me that she did this, especially that she sent them during our first holiday away just the two of us since we got married, so, do I ignore it, keep an eye on the group to see how often they chat or ask her directly about it, I have no idea if they chat on messenger

OP posts:
krafttable · 27/08/2024 11:09

It's a public happy birthday message, not a private naked photo 😂

Honestly...it's a little stalkerish that you've dug so deep into her internet activity. I think your wife should be able to have small, public, social interactions without having to tell you about every single one of them.

I don't talk to any of my exes really (no reason to) but I would be pretty annoyed if my husband suggested I was not 'allowed' to.

theemmadilemma · 27/08/2024 11:15

CheekyHobson · 27/08/2024 11:07

I absolutely could not get upset in the smallest way about a partner of many years wishing a long-ago ex happy birthday on a public social media group.

This. It says more about your own insecurities than her actions.

Scottishskifun · 27/08/2024 11:16

As the phrase goes it seems your making a mountain over a molehill OP!

I'm guessing school was quite a long time ago for you both if you have been together for a while and married as well. Having a Facebook friend doesn't mean that they are a RL friend it's usually just a catch up and occasional happy birthday etc.

I would say I would be pretty pissed off if my DH turned to me and said why are you sending x message on a group to such person....it would feel like he didn't trust me and was also trying to dictate or keeping tabs on me both of which would raise alarm bells for me.

I think maybe you need to work out why it's making you feel uneasy - it sounds like your own insecurity rather then your DW being at fault.

Maddy70 · 27/08/2024 11:22

Almost every one of my exs there are a lot actually are on my facebook. Always wish them happy birthday. School boyfriends are so in the past. You are being utterly ridiculous

I assume my husband has some on his too. Never thought to ask. Its such a non thing

MtClair · 27/08/2024 11:22

Cannotforgiveorforget · 27/08/2024 10:21

You’ll get lots of cool cats reeling and saying you are being UR. It does not matter what others think. The decision about contact with exes should be discussed and agreed between you.
FWIW I would not like this, but it’s my personal opinion based on others lying to me by omission in the past. Is she usually open about her friendships?

I’m afraid I dont expect to ask permission to contact someone of the other sex (because there would be no issue with a woman right?).
Nor do I expect DH to ask permission either.

Either you trust your partner or you don’t.
And neither of us are children who need someone to check were behaving well.

K8ate · 27/08/2024 11:23

VimesandhisCardboardBoots · 27/08/2024 10:01

What's your issue exactly?

I've got a bunch of exes on my Facebook, as has DP. We'll wish them a happy birthday, or send the odd message etc. If the relationship breakdown wasn't horrible, then they're just people we used to know, like a friend we've lost touch with.

Sometimes we see them in the pub or around town and have a chat with them, and that's fine too.

Just because I talk to someone occasionally, it doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to hop into bed with them. Either you trust your partner, or you don't.

Sounds like you don't, in which case why do you want to be in a relationship with them?

But some people might and some people do…….

MtClair · 27/08/2024 11:28

@rkahic it seems the issue is that she contacted them when you were on hols, one that you labelled as romantic and special.
So your expectation is that she should have been concentrating on you, just you, and not not giving any headspace at all on any other men.

Why?
Do you think that her thinking about other people, esp of the male gender, is something bad? Do you think that you giving headspace to any woman is bad?
Dont you think it’s just pretty normal to think about other people, regardless if the sex?
Because you’ve done an awful lot of digging to find they were in the same FB group etc…. Even if I had seen a ‘you might like <insert group>’ my first thought would have been ‘oh that’s her town’. That’s it. I wouldn’t have checked who was also in it etc….

MtClair · 27/08/2024 11:29

K8ate · 27/08/2024 11:23

But some people might and some people do…….

Then that means you don’t trust your partner.
Why would you stay with them if you have such a low opinion of them??

BIWI · 27/08/2024 11:29

What do you do? Well, for a start, you stop checking up on your wife!

Second, though, if it really bothers you that she's in contact with a previous boyfriend, ask her about him. (Before you do that, though, you really need to ask yourself why it bothers you.)

I'd be very cross with my DH if I thought he was monitoring my FB (or any other social media). It's none of his business who I'm messaging/talking to. If he didn't trust me, then I'd be very concerned! And - it's Facebook! - it's shallow beyond belief. Just people chatting about daily stuff and wishing each other happy birthday. You also need to understand that Facebook prompts people that it's one of their friend's birthdays - and even gives standard messages to click on, rather than having to create your own.

You are, as PP have said, making a mountain out of a molehill.

VimesandhisCardboardBoots · 27/08/2024 11:30

rkahic · 27/08/2024 10:56

Sensible advice because in all honesty I don’t know exactly what bothers me, we’ve always been very close and know who we are friends with, I’m sure she just saw his name on this group and said happy birthday, I suppose I was interested to see if, in other peoples experience, it’s something best stored under “don’t be bothered it’s of no consequence” or not

Everyones boundaries around this are going to be different. You need to work out what your own limits are and why, and then hope that your wife thoughts are compatible with that.

Me and my DP are fairly permissive when it comes to ex'es. They kind of have to be when you live in the same small town you grew up in. My DD's head of year next year is going to be one of my exes, and two years ago we went to the wedding of one of my exes and her exes. My parents family friends have children who I went out with in school etc. So the odd message on Facebook isn't exactly going to bother us.

But that doesn't mean there haven't been occasions that have given us the wiggins.

About a decade ago, DP started chatting to an old work friend who'd got in touch, someone she'd hooked up with a few times, but they'd never properly gone out. She mentioned it to me, and I initially thought nothing of it, but she was getting more and more engrossed in her phone. Alarm bells started ringing for me, especially as we were going through a bit of a rough patch (nothing serious, just one of those periods in a long relationship where you drift a little bit before coming back together)

I asked her if I could see the messages, she agreed. I thought he was blatantly trying it on, she disagreed. I pointed out my translations of what he was saying, and even a few points where I thought she was flirting back. We had a long conversation about it and she agreed to block him. Not necessarily because she agreed she was in the wrong, but because the sheer fact that alarm bells were ringing for me was enough.

More recently, I was on a work night out. I tend to be one of the last ones out, and I ended up putting a very drunk woman in a taxi home. Next thing she's got back out because she can't remember where she lived, so I end up having to get a taxi with her to the other end of town, and deposit her with her waiting husband. As a result, I got home very late. The next morning I tell DP what went on, and a few hours later I get a "Did anything else go on with her last night?" My story didn't add up for her, and she produced a couple of reasons why. Luckily I could easily produce an alibi and reciepts, and her mind was put at rest.

What I'm trying to say in the essay above, is that sometimes alarm bells will ring, even if it's completely unfounded. The way to deal with it is to work out why they're ringing for you, work out for yourself whether it's a false alarm. If you think it's not, make sure you can put into words why not, and then have a calm conversation with your partner about it.

K8ate · 27/08/2024 11:32

MtClair · 27/08/2024 11:29

Then that means you don’t trust your partner.
Why would you stay with them if you have such a low opinion of them??

Nothing to do with me at all.

Regardless of how much you may trust your partner, it still doesn’t alter the fact that people have free will and there are many who are unfaithful.

Fluufer · 27/08/2024 11:49

She said happy birthday, publicly on Facebook to a teenage boyfriend? There's nothing to "keep an eye on". Don't keep looking for problems that don't exist and don't quiz her on it.

FastCaar · 27/08/2024 14:45

@rkahic if I were in your position I certainly wouldn't file it under 'no consequence' in my thoughts. I know how these communications can develop over time into areas that cross boundaries. Especially if she didn't mention it in the first place. People find themselves keeping these communications secret from their spouse, and that's a problem because furtive behaviour will eventually make their spouse suspicious.
I would be upfront with her and tell her that it isn't the friendship and occasional message which is an issue. That it's because you found out without her telling you. You are entitled to set your own boundaries within a marriage, along with negotiation with your wife of course. It's when expectations aren't voiced that causes the problems.

CheekyHobson · 27/08/2024 18:57

K8ate · 27/08/2024 11:32

Nothing to do with me at all.

Regardless of how much you may trust your partner, it still doesn’t alter the fact that people have free will and there are many who are unfaithful.

Relationships don’t exist in a vacuum though. If you have what you believe is a good, fulfilling, close relationship with a person who has demonstrated good values, there’s no reason that you should assume they are one of the minority of people who are going to cheat and start trying to place boundaries around activities that are fundamentally innocuous. Thats disrespectful and controlling.

If your partner has a record of lying or evading the r cheating, is a flirty person in general, if your relationship has known issues, if your partner is very secretive with their phone etc then there’s more cause to be suspicious.

But at the end of the day, if someone is unhappy or unethical enough to cheat, cutting off one particular opportunity to do so isn’t going to stop them.

rkahic · 27/08/2024 19:04

FastCaar · 27/08/2024 14:45

@rkahic if I were in your position I certainly wouldn't file it under 'no consequence' in my thoughts. I know how these communications can develop over time into areas that cross boundaries. Especially if she didn't mention it in the first place. People find themselves keeping these communications secret from their spouse, and that's a problem because furtive behaviour will eventually make their spouse suspicious.
I would be upfront with her and tell her that it isn't the friendship and occasional message which is an issue. That it's because you found out without her telling you. You are entitled to set your own boundaries within a marriage, along with negotiation with your wife of course. It's when expectations aren't voiced that causes the problems.

Think that’s absolutely the issue, not the communicating with him, the absolutely not mentioning it when she’s never not mentioned getting in touch with other old school friends of either sex and she is incredibly protective of her phone but always wants to know what I’m doing on mine, so perhaps there are some niggling trust issues on both our parts

OP posts:
Fluufer · 27/08/2024 19:53

rkahic · 27/08/2024 19:04

Think that’s absolutely the issue, not the communicating with him, the absolutely not mentioning it when she’s never not mentioned getting in touch with other old school friends of either sex and she is incredibly protective of her phone but always wants to know what I’m doing on mine, so perhaps there are some niggling trust issues on both our parts

Do you relay to her every benign contact you ever have with anyone ever? Do you run every happy birthday past her?
I find it mad that people police their spouses like this!
If a Facebook birthday message is ringing alarm bells, you've got big problems.

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