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Relationships

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

373 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:
Delphiniumandlupins · Today 10:05

Poor boy. He might feel he has nowhere 'safe' at the moment. However, running off from his dad's when they fall out is not a great plan and he needs to have a better approach. I don't think this has to be emotionally scarring for life, although he's obviously shocked at the moment. It sounds like his dad is treating it sensibly. I think you had sound reasons for for not telling your kids you have a boyfriend/partner and your DS might have been upset however he found out. Give him time to come around, apologise profusely and maybe keep sex for the bedroom? (If he ran off in his socks does that mean he left his shoes and taking them back later today could give you an excuse to see him?)

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:05

I would be checking his devices from now on, just incase.

Flowerpotman · Today 10:06

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:05

I would be checking his devices from now on, just incase.

Wow! Just wild

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 10:07

CaesarAugusta · Today 09:39

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.

I don’t think it is true at all that it is “unusual” not to see or hear your parents having sex. It’s not a normal thing for a child to have to experience, nor some rite of passage as some posters are trying to imply.

Happytaytos · Today 10:07

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:05

I would be checking his devices from now on, just incase.

In case he films her next time?

Why would you check devices?!

This thread is insanity gold.

MyArtfulGreySloth · Today 10:08

HelenaWaiting · Today 09:45

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.

Not scarred maybe,!but will he ever forget? No he bloody won’t. 🤢 poor boy. I still have horrible memories of hearing my friends mum at a sleepover as a kid, completely brings back the horrid feeling I felt at the time, and that was just noise and not my own mum! It’s honestly awful.

SabbatWheel · Today 10:08

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!

Absolutely. Adults don’t seem to be able to have a (private) life for fear of upsetting the kiddies these days.
He’ll get over it, and he shouldn’t be house-hopping, he’s a child and should stick to the arrangement (unless there are safeguarding issues obvs, but that’s not the issue here).

MyArtfulGreySloth · Today 10:09

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 10:07

I don’t think it is true at all that it is “unusual” not to see or hear your parents having sex. It’s not a normal thing for a child to have to experience, nor some rite of passage as some posters are trying to imply.

People on this site seem to be really pushing to normalise children hearing their parents having sex. It’s absolutely vile.

ChalkOutlines · Today 10:10

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:05

I would be checking his devices from now on, just incase.

Why exactly?

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:10

ChalkOutlines · Today 10:10

Why exactly?

To make sure he isn't looking at stuff he shouldn't be looking at

ScrollingLeaves · Today 10:11

MummyWillow1 · Today 06:25

He’ll come round. Ignore the other pearl clutchers, you haven’t scarred him for life. In 10 years time he will laugh about it.

Leave him to calm down, apologise and install a security chain on the door and use it when you have company so he has to knock/ring the bell to get in if you are ‘busy’.

You are an adult and entitled to your own life.

use it when you have company so he has to knock/ring the bell to get in if you are ‘busy

”company”?

He is supposed to be on this 5:5:2:2: plan of being cut-up between his parents.

Knowing where he is supposed to be living is not exactly easy In the first place. Now this, and suggestions of locking him out!

No wonder teenagers are getting unhappy and depressed.

scienceteachersarefun · Today 10:11

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 10:07

I don’t think it is true at all that it is “unusual” not to see or hear your parents having sex. It’s not a normal thing for a child to have to experience, nor some rite of passage as some posters are trying to imply.

Absolutely. Mosy adults are keenly aware of this boundary.
Anyway, it's done now. Just the excruciating embarrassment remains.

Happytaytos · Today 10:12

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:10

To make sure he isn't looking at stuff he shouldn't be looking at

How does that link to the OP situation?

ScrollingLeaves · Today 10:13

SabbatWheel · Today 10:08

Absolutely. Adults don’t seem to be able to have a (private) life for fear of upsetting the kiddies these days.
He’ll get over it, and he shouldn’t be house-hopping, he’s a child and should stick to the arrangement (unless there are safeguarding issues obvs, but that’s not the issue here).

Adults?

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:13

Happytaytos · Today 10:12

How does that link to the OP situation?

You have to ask?

REALLY?

Miyagi99 · Today 10:13

Happytaytos · Today 10:07

In case he films her next time?

Why would you check devices?!

This thread is insanity gold.

And I’m here for it!

scienceteachersarefun · Today 10:14

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.

I'm just trying to imagine how awkward that first introduction will be.

ChalkOutlines · Today 10:14

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:10

To make sure he isn't looking at stuff he shouldn't be looking at

Are you trying to imply that now he’s seen his mum, it’s a gateway drug to porn and god knows what else?

mycarhasnoaircon · Today 10:15

Silly boy. How does he think he got to be born?

DurinsBane · Today 10:15

Costatesco · Today 06:02

In his family home a young teen boy has, in one fell swoop, discovered a man in his home, in his mum’s bed and seen you having sex . There is no escaping fact that this is going to have really disturbed him. What will your ex say when he discovers why his son is so upset?

The ex is the one who told OP that their son saw her having sex, so I would assume he knows already……

DurinsBane · Today 10:16

Starlight7080 · Today 06:15

Really you all need to address why he is falling out with his dad so much. And running out of the house as a reaction. But also if you are having sex in the living room knowing this happens often why didnt you lock the front door???
Its common sense

The son has a key?

DurinsBane · Today 10:17

Costatesco · Today 07:00

No, you didn’t

edited as seen poster has already acknowledged that the OP did!

MadinMarch · Today 10:18

ChristmasBaby2026 · Today 09:19

It’s because she was recklessly doing it in the living room.

Recklessly?
FFS, even if OP was in her bedroom at it, her son could just as easily have walked into that room and caught her unawares.
No point in vilifying OP for the unfortunate timing of her son's unexpected return to the home. She already feels mortified and I'm sure she'll take steps in the future to avoid the same situation arising again. As will her son no doubt.

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:18

Maybe it's time to take the key back?

Happytaytos · Today 10:19

TheseWordsAreMine · Today 10:13

You have to ask?

REALLY?

Yes, I really don't understand how checking her teens phone would have meant he didn't walk in.

Am I missing something?

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