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Relationships

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Teenage son saw me having sex and now won’t speak to me

378 replies

mortified48 · Today 05:55

Utterly mortified. Bit of background… been divorced for nearly two years after a horrendous marriage. Thanks to good friends helping me with an exit plan, I managed to get out and am now in my own lovely little home. Two DS, 11 and 14 who I share custody with my ex 50/50. Eldest son doesn’t always see eye to eye with his dad who lives about 20 mins walk away.

So yesterday was changeover day and as kids are on half term, they went back to their dad’s at lunchtime and I’m not due to get them back now until Weds (we use a 5 5 2 2 schedule). I was working Fri afternoon and suddenly my eldest appears in my house (he has a key) as he’d had a row with his dad and didn’t want to go back. DS and Ex have a decent relationship but they clash quite a bit and I’m very close to my son. I had a good talk with him and when my ex arrived to come get him, had a talk with him too, calmed the situation and they went back to my ex’s house.

Later that evening my boyfriend of one year came over for some food and a film. It’s worth mentioning here that my kids haven’t met him yet. They’ve bumped into him once, and I talk about him, but more as a close friend I guess. The reason for that is I’m not about to introduce them to someone unless I know they’re going to be sticking around. Ex got a new girlfriend straight after the split and has been with her for 22 months now. At the beginning the kids struggled a little with this, it was quite soon after the split; my ex did the same thing and didn’t introduce her to them straight away incase it didn’t work out. The kids were recently introduced to her properly, and seem ok with it, although it’s a little awkward for them as she’s a teacher at their school. Anyway.. I certainly wasn’t going to introduce my boyfriend to them when they were in the throes of adjusting to dad’s new girlfriend and going on holiday with her and her kids etc.. it’s a lot for them to take in still. So I’ve kept it as mentioning my boyfriends name quite a bit as a friend and then when im sure the relationship has a solid future, i figured this would make it easier to introduce him to the kids.

Back to last night.. boyfriend was round watching a movie, and at about 9pm we got frisky in my living room and then again in the bedroom and then made some food. My phone was in a different room charging. When I went to get it around 11:15pm , I saw a text from the ex at 11pm saying that (unknown to me), my eldest had had a row with him and had run to mine around 9pm, let himself in and saw me having sex 😣 and had got such a shock he ran back to his dads in his socks(!) and now isn’t wanting to speak to me because he feels lied to. I had NO idea he was even in the house and only found out when I went to get my phone from the other room at 11pm. Ex had also texted at 9pm to say DS had rowed with him and was running to mine but I hadn’t seen this. Ex didn’t appear to have tried to stop DS running to mine.
i immediately tried to get in touch with DS as I could see he was still online, but he said he didn’t want to talk and turned his phone off. He’s really upset. I think the “feeling lied to” is probably because I haven’t introduced my boyfriend to him yet and he feels kept in the dark (which he hated when it happened with my ex’s girlfriend at the beginning of their relationship).

Utterly mortified and need advice how to handle this. I’m so close to DS, and he’s never not wanted to talk before and is obviously very shocked and embarrassed and upset. Help!

OP posts:
PumpkinsAndCoconuts · Today 09:38

WhatNoRaisins · Today 06:23

I'm sorry but once you've got kids you surely don't do living room stuff anymore. Not unless the doors are properly secured or you know they are far away. I don't get what you were thinking here.

Oh good! So I wasn’t the only one wondering about this!

OP should tell her son she loves him, that she will give him space and that they will get a new sofa immediately!!

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:39

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 09:10

I think you were a bit reckless Op. You son had already come back to yours once that day and has form for doing so. Shagging in the living room was irresponsible. At 33 I have never found a shred of evidence of my parents fucking (even though they obviously do/did as I have younger siblings). You need to be much more discreet. I wouldn’t want to talk to you about it either.

He didn't have form for coming back to the house. That day was the first time he'd done it, and by 9 pm it's reasonable to assume he's going to do what he usually does and stay at his dad's.

I don't see the big deal about shagging in the living room either. The chances are that, if OP's son hadn't found her in the rest of the house he'd have gone to her bedroom anyway, so it makes no difference.

If you were never aware of your parents having sex, you're very unusual. Most people live in small houses and it's impossible to guarantee that other people won't hear you.

Miyagi99 · Today 09:41

Flowerpotman · Today 09:21

Thanks for your reply. I will concede that it could reflect on my unconsented exposure to my mother's sexuality. I lived in a prudish home where sex was never discussed. I never had a single conversation about it, but loud sex noises (not bed squeaking) emanated from the bedroom. I do, though, think there are big differences in male and female sexuality, and that is a good thing.

As an awkward teen boy, it's very confusing, and without giving TMI, physiology does not stop working, and it messed with my head. It affected my future relationships and has affected my relationship with my mum. Who I do love dearly. We were both only recently discussing my children, and she brought up how I changed as a teen. It was around the same time. It made me sad as I thought she had never noticed.

Now I am a big advocate for open conversation about sex and sexuality. I will hopefully try to educate my own children better and definitely take more care with noises and have a latch on our bedroom door. MN has helped me a lot.

These sorts of conversations remind me of watching Darling Buds of May with my parents when the parents in that always set aside some time for nooky together, kids were aware and just kept out of the way (obviously it’s fiction but it was depicted as quite wholesome). And don’t underestimate a teenage girl’s libido, not everyone is the same but I know I thought for a while something must be wrong with me because I didn’t realise girls could feel just as horny as boys! I don’t think I’d seen any representation of it as a child/teenager unless it was in a negative light.

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:41

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 09:10

Of course it’s her fault. She was doing it in the communal area of the home!

At a time when she had every reason to believe she was alone in the house. She's not at fault in any way.

Mantanora · Today 09:42

There's two aspects to this. The fact he saw his mother having sex and the fact that you hid the existence of the boyfriend from him. He will get over the sex part fairly quickly. It will have been a shock to him but in the future he will be joking about it with his friends saying how he couldn't unsee it no matter how much he washed his eyes. The second part is what you need to address now. He would have thought of your house as a safe space for just you and him which has now been violated by a stranger who he now has to share your affections with. Give him some time and when he is ready to talk, explain to him about the boyfriend and why you never told him. Make sure to explain to him that it changes nothing about his relationship with you. Don't mention the sex, brush it under the carpet, he'll get over it. When the time feels right, introduce them. It will take him a while to adjust so you and bf need to be patient.

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:43

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 09:14

How exactly do you stop a 14 year old boy leaving the house if he wants to go? Should ex have barricaded him in? Restrained him? This is a child who clearly feels unsafe in his dad’s home because of his new relationship with his teacher. It doesn’t feel like it is his. Now his mum’s house doesn’t feel like his either.

Why is it clear? Yesterday was the first time he's run off after a row.

NameChangeMay2026 · Today 09:43

HedgehogsOnTheWall · Today 06:02

Ach let him stew. On the plus side maybe he'll think twice about storming out of his dad's in future!

Exactly! 🤣🤣

He knew his mum has someone as she keeps mentioning him. And fourteen is old enough to realise that your parents have sex with their partners.

He'll stay put next time!

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 09:44

Did you put a sheet over the sofa OP?

HelenaWaiting · Today 09:45

Overtheatlantic · Today 06:02

You can’t force him to talk. I would just leave it and get advice from a professional like a child psychologist; it seems like there’s potential for this to cause him harm and to damage your relationship with him long-term.

Utterly ridiculous comment. Mum is a woman. Women have sex. It was unfortunate that he walked in on them and will need a delicate conversation but he's hardly scarred for life.

SwatTheTwit · Today 09:46

EnjoythemoneyJane · Today 09:04

Completely different scenario. Her DS was older for a start (and a couple of years makes a big difference at this age), and this was a text, within the context of a stable family set up, over a situation in which both parents were prioritising the child. The sexual comment is incidental to that, and easy to laugh off.

Not so much when it’s a disenfranchised 14 year old who’s obviously already struggling, shuttling between homes and trying adjust to unsettling new relationships in his parents’ lives, actually walking in unawares and seeing his mother getting fucked by a total stranger.

Zero equivalence between the two situations, and I really don’t think it’s an ‘unhealthy’ overreaction to suggest the OP needs to tread carefully in how she handles it.

Tread carefully, sure, because there’s a number of issues that need addressing.

However comments such as “Your poor boy” as if a great crime has been committed? No. Yes, it wasn’t a great situation, but it’s hardly the worst thing that could have happened. It’s awkward and uncomfortable at best.

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:46

Greenwitchart · Today 09:17

OP nobody wants to see a parent have sex...

You were silly to have sex in the living room when you know that your son has a habit of coming into the house unannounced.

It sounds like your son was already very unsettled by his parents living apart and him struggling to get on with his father, so adding a boyfriend in the mix and him walking on you having sex with a virtual stranger in a communal part of the house is not going to help.

You are of course entitled to a private life but keeping it more private would have been a good idea.

Also I would focus on supporting your kid and his well being as he is obviously struggling with a lot right now. I always think that kids should be a priority over any man so many rebalance your priorities.

Edited

Fuxake, why are people so bad at basic comprehension? OP made it perfectly clear her son had never done this before on days he's supposed to be at his dad's, so obviously he doesn't have a habit of coming in unannounced. The chances are he would have found them in the bedroom as he would presumably have gone looking for her if he was upset, so it makes very little difference that they were in the living room. OP was keeping her private life perfectly private.

Miyagi99 · Today 09:48

SwatTheTwit · Today 09:46

Tread carefully, sure, because there’s a number of issues that need addressing.

However comments such as “Your poor boy” as if a great crime has been committed? No. Yes, it wasn’t a great situation, but it’s hardly the worst thing that could have happened. It’s awkward and uncomfortable at best.

Exactly, and all 14 year olds fall out with their parents at some point, whether they are together or not, it doesn’t make him ‘disenfranchised’!

user1464187087 · Today 09:48

Overtheatlantic · Today 06:02

You can’t force him to talk. I would just leave it and get advice from a professional like a child psychologist; it seems like there’s potential for this to cause him harm and to damage your relationship with him long-term.

I think that's a bit dramatic to be honest.

Purplecatshopaholic · Today 09:50

mumonthehill · Today 06:06

I think try and keep this calm and in perspective. Yes your ds will be embarrassed and mortified but he also perhaps needs now to have a gentle conversation about your new relationship. I would apologise that he saw it, explain that you were trying to keep it all separate but you are allowed a new relationship. It is such a shame he saw it and yes it is his home but it is yours too and he was meant to be at his other home.

This. Dont over egg this. It’s unfortunate it happened but it won’t scar him for life. You are entitled to have a bf, and your son wasn’t supposed to be in the house!

EdithBond · Today 09:50

Oh OP, I feel for you. And especially your poor son.

He’s at a difficult age at 14 and obvs in a lot of turmoil already with his dad. He’ll obvs remember this for the rest of his life. How you handle it now is key.

No point looking at the shoulda, woulda, coulda.

IMHO:

  • Suggest asking if he’d like to go for a walk today or tomorrow (assume he’s back at school on Monday). So could can talk to him but not in your home, where he saw you doing the deed.
  • Ask how he’s feeling and truly listen. Don’t minimise his feelings in any way. Don’t interrupt or try to justify.
  • Tell him how very sorry you are. That you understand he needed to come home to a safe space and then had to encounter what he did, seeing you with a man he’s never met. That you feel terrible.
  • Reassure him you never heard him come in or knew he was there.
  • Then, say it’ll never happen again. You’ll put him first. It’s his home. And your bf won’t be coming to your home again any time soon. You’ll go to his. Because you want your DS to feel he can come and go whenever he wants without finding your bf there.

Don’t say (as your ex did) that you’re entitled to have your bf over when he’s not there. IMHO, that’s not putting your DS first, which you must now do. It’s his home and at 14, he should be able to come and go as he wishes. As most 14yos do in their home. He’s a young adult. Most parents of teens wouldn’t have sex in the living room when there’s any risk a teen might come home, let alone with a new bf they’ve never met.

You’ll also need to be aware he may have flashbacks when in the living room. Could you change it around to minimise that? He may not want to hang out in there for a while. Maybe spend more time in the garden if you have one. Let him stay in his room if he prefers that.

Then try to have as much fun as possible in the coming weeks, so things don’t get heavy. IME teens feel better mentally with humour. Not forced fun (cringe) but doing stuff he loves to do to rebuild your closeness. Simple stuff at home. Tell him you love him a lot. Don’t make him go to his dad’s if he doesn’t want to.

Though of course don’t ever try to laugh off what happened.

Pasithean · Today 09:51

Is it not a right of passage to catch your parents . However an unknown man should be nowhere near your children’s house until they are introduced.

Bufftailed · Today 09:51

This is really awkward. I remember feeling a lot of emotions when I realized my mum was with someone else. You’ll get through it though.

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:52

Dollysleftnip · Today 09:23

Better than seeing some random man’s penis inside his mother yes I do think that would’ve been better yes absolutely

How would he see a penis inside his mother???? Does he have X-Ray vision?

whackwhackoops · Today 09:53

DiscoBeat · Today 08:59

It's a good idea but the tinkler's already gone off

😂

Rose213 · Today 09:57

Sounds like your son doesn't have a great home life at all... poor lad.

Sober23 · Today 09:57

Gosh so much judgement and pearl clutching on this thread!

OP he is not scarred for life. He will get over it. You are entitled to a sex life!!!

aWeeCornishPastie · Today 09:58

@Costatesco wow mean and unnecessary are you a troll

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:00

Take the childs point of view.

The little guy has just seen his mother dicked down by a random in the front room.

AppleKatie · Today 10:01

Well that’s crude!

but yes it may be how he feels… but the child will be explained to that a) it wasn’t a random to his mother b) his mother is entitled to an adult private life just as he will be when he is older.

Flowerpotman · Today 10:04

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:52

How would he see a penis inside his mother???? Does he have X-Ray vision?

If it were sofa sex, then it is not too much of a stretch to think may not have been missionary?

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