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

Boyfriend told me he needs a break from dating

12 replies

Nousese · 23/06/2025 12:29

I have been with my bf 10 months. We have been seeing each other normally every two weeks as i have my child with me every two weeks. Also, his work is unpredictable and has to work some weekends so have been occasions when we met just 4 weeks after. I have Tuesdays off too and since the beginning of the relationship i told him we can meet up on Tuesdays he has said Tuesday is a workday.
However they have been Tuesdays when he is free and we haven’t met. To summarise this weekend he was working on Saturday and needed to work from home on Sunday. I asked him by text on Friday if he wanted to talk on the phone on Friday, or Saturday or Sunday. He said we could try on Saturday. Since the beginning of the relationship he hasn’t been keen on taking on the phone. Saturday we texted during the day and in the night i texted him if he was calling me Saturday or Sunday. He called me around 10:30 pm. He was tired, he woke up that day at 5:30 am to go to work. We were talking about holidays. I am going on holiday with my child in July and he is going to see his family to his country. We are both foreigners. So i told him that if i didn’t see him in 2 weeks time we won’t see each other until September as by the time i come back from my holiday he would leave for his holiday. So he said he would be happy with that. You need a younger guy and I said you are young. Because my pronunciation sometimes is not very clear i repeated it again as i thought he took it in a different way. Any way conversation continued and i asked him if we can meet on sunday from 6 pm to 10 pm, and he said i would go back home too late and he would feel bad. So i said feel bad for not seeing me. Then at some point he said: “i am tired of dating, i need a break from dating. You asked me to meet everyday. I have been dating since i was 10 and it has been 41 years dating.” Indidn’t know what he mean with all this, it was late he was very tired and i just said when we met, you said you didn’t want to be alone and you said you were serious. Then, i think i asked him are you serious or not? He said i am serious. I didn’t realised what he said properly and i continue talking as nothing happened. He was very tired and we said bye as normal sending us kisses.

Yesterday, i just started to digest what he told me. Normally i am the one who initiates contact texting him which i haven’t done since the conversation. We normally send good night messages before going to bed buy neither of us did it.

I am sad and i was thinking if i should text him to clarify what he mean when he said he needed a break from dating to know the reason for it.

OP posts:
TwistedWonder · 23/06/2025 12:31

Let it go. It’s barely a relationship- and I suspect he’s not actually single.

Stop wasting your time on a zero effort man

Enrichetta · 23/06/2025 12:34

He is letting you go and you should do the same.

Raise your bar in future and don’t accept crumbs. Being single is preferable to nearly always having to do the running.

HellonHeels · 23/06/2025 12:34

No you should not text him you should block him.

He's avoided meeting up, he's avoided speaking on the phone, he doesnt mind if you dont see each other until Seltember, he wants a break from dating.

It's very clear indeed he doesnt want to be with you. Sorry OP but you can do a whole lot better than this non-relationship.

SnugCoralFinch · 23/06/2025 12:39

It sounds like he isn’t even single, but either way he’s clearly not making or even wanting to make any effort. I know it’s rough out there but I’m sure there’s better than this on offer.

There’s really no texting him he isn’t going to suddenly tell you something you want to hear. In fact it will probably make him feel in control and give him an ego boost.

WaltzingWaters · 23/06/2025 12:39

It really doesn’t sound like much of a relationship anyway. He doesn’t sound very interested. Block and raise your bar higher next time.

PermanentTemporary · 23/06/2025 12:41

My experience is that someone who doesn’t want to see you, doesn’t want to see you. I’d finish it now.

Viviennemary · 23/06/2025 12:43

It's just a euphanism, for I'd like to end it, IMHO.

Bittenonce · 23/06/2025 12:51

Let him go, he doesn’t care. Find someone who does care. Don’t reach out to him now, he’s said where he’s at (though not why), you need to not care either.

Meandmyguy · 23/06/2025 12:54

Don't embarrass yourself op.

He has already told you.

Nousese · 23/06/2025 15:26

Thanks for all your advice

OP posts:
PithyLimeViper · 08/08/2025 12:53

Hold your nerve, do not contact him, pull your big girl's pants up and move on. I doubt he is experiencing the same feelings that you are.

MrTiddlesTheCat · 08/08/2025 13:00

Sorry OP but it sounds like he's in another relationship and he's run out of energy for his bit on the side (you).

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread