On Reddit, a man made a post about having ended his three-year relationship since his girlfriend did not wish him a happy birthday for the third year in a row. The 29-year-old posted the story on the r/BoyDinnerDiaries subreddit and accompanied it with a picture of a 12-ounce ribeye and loaded hash browns that he was having for dinner that day.
His girlfriend had not acknowledged his birthday eight days before he made the post, he said. He mentioned that he had brought up the matter the night before, and at that time she said that she had been going through a difficult week at work and had therefore forgotten. However, she had written his birthday on her calendar.
He was willing to accept it when she first forgot his birthday, as they had only recently begun dating. The following year, she did not realize it until a week later, and by the third missed birthday, he said he had reached his limit.
"I've just had enough," he wrote.
OP was especially upset since he made an effort to celebrate her birthdays during their relationship. He recalled buying her a bunny necklace because she loves rabbits, and said he had taken her to her favorite ramen restaurant with her sisters.
He said that he had never received a similar gesture from her and had never been taken to one of his favorite places to eat when it was his birthday. Instead, he spent his 29th birthday with friends at the Minnesota State Fair.
This birthday problem also made him look at other parts of the relationship that he had kept ignoring. The Redditor claimed that his now ex-girlfriend's drinking at times led to verbal and mental abuse, such as saying that she could "get any man she wants." Looking back, he realizes they should have broken up earlier.
He noted that he was looking forward to spending the weekend alone, watching his favorite shows, playing video games, and assembling the Lego set which he had bought for himself.
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The post received 8,200 upvotes and a number of supportive comments. Some wished him a belated happy birthday and argued that repeatedly forgetting a partner's birthday could reflect a deeper lack of consideration.
On that note, some people said that birthdays are not important in the same way to everyone. One commenter said that they had been brought up in a home where birthdays were rarely celebrated and so they did not mean much to them. The commenter still found the girlfriend's alleged behavior concerning, noting the birthday issue was only one part of a broader pattern described in the post, which also included claims of verbal abuse.
Another Redditor summed it up by saying that although people may have very different attitudes about birthdays, they can make an effort if they know it is important to their partner.
