A married mother’s eagerness to bring her best friend on a long-awaited family trip with her teenage daughter has fueled speculation that she might be having an affair.
According to a Reddit post written by a user claiming to be a teen, her mother previously promised to take her on a special trip to Japan once she graduated from high school. However, those plans have been updated to include Irene, her mother’s best friend who has become “very close to her” during the pandemic.
“My mom goes there two to three times a week to spend the night at her house,” the teen wrote. “They’ve gone on several vacations together including Iceland, Arizona, Mexico, Cabo, New York, etc.”
While the young woman opposes Erin joining them on the grounds that it is something special she wants to do with her mother, many online suspect that the two women’s friendship may be more than meets the eye.
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A survey by the American Association on Marriage and Family Therapy found that about 15 percent of married women and 25 percent of married men had extramarital affairs. The study found that the incidence was 20 percent higher when romantic and sexual relationships without intercourse were included.
While these numbers indicate that extramarital affairs are common, it is critical that anyone suspected of infidelity supports these convictions before making any charges.
“Before you jump the gun and try to confront your partner, you have to be certain they are reckless,” Dr. Martina Paglia, director of the International Psychology Clinic, told Newsweek.
“If your intuition tells you that your partner is cheating on you, it may be true,” she admitted. “However, you may want to gather other evidence before confronting your significant other about their behavior.”
Gut instincts seem to motivate a lot of speculation online about this Reddit post and the close relationship or friendship that exists between the mother and Erin.
According to her teenage daughter, she only wanted the family on the trip because her mom “always calls Erin and tends to do what they want to do instead of the rest of us.” Despite expressing these concerns, her mother refused to back down, explaining that Japan was Irene’s “dream destination” and even suggesting that her daughter bring a friend of hers to “make up”.
While the teen seemed oblivious to the unusual nature of her mother’s relationship with Erin, those following the post on social media had no qualms about mentioning it. “Are your parents still together.. or… I think she’s with Erin…” FlamingosFeather wrote. Destado1 agreed and commented, “Your mother and Irene are in an unclear relationship.”
Meanwhile, ABeggyChooser said, “It’s so nice of my mom to bring Erin on a family trip in front of her husband. Almost as if she doesn’t care if she gets caught.” This prompted PawsPlay36 to speculate: “Maybe he knows. Maybe they’re polygamous. Maybe the father and mother are still officially married but they live separate lives. Who knows?”
The teen said in response to the comments that while both her parents and Erin are “very serious Christians”, she has doubts that they could be “more than friends” and suspects it is likely to be an “emotional relationship” rather than a physical one. “It is a complex situation that I may have to face in the future,” she wrote.
When it comes to tackling infidelity, Paglia’s advice is simple: Seek help. “Don’t try to overcome betrayal alone,” she said. “It’s wise to seek relationship therapy together or on your own. You can even try an online program if that’s more convenient for you.”