Birthdays are a rare 24 hours where the spotlight is focused exclusively on you, but modestly, you accept this inevitability. So when someone forgets your birthday, it’s an awkward moment filled with different emotions. On the one hand, you’re mortified that an event of such magnitude could be forgotten, but on the other hand, you realize that to most people it’s just another day of the week. No different to yesterday, no better than tomorrow.
How dare they.
So because you’re not the only diva out there, here are 11 thoughts we all have when someone forgets our birthday. How do I know? I think them too.
1. “But I remembered theirs…”
You make a mental note not to ever send them a Happy Birthday message on Facebook ever again. An eye for an eye, right?
2. “It’s not like they have that much going on.”
You scroll through their social media looking to see how much time they’ve spent doing other non-important things like visiting family, working, and raising their children. Surely they had time to wish you a happy birthday.
3. “I spent hours choosing their present!”
You thought about their interests, hobbies, favorite scent, favorite food, future plans, preferred style, the interior design of their home… Although you don’t give to receive, you can’t help but feel somewhat shortchanged here.
4. “Well, they bought [shared close friend] a birthday present”
The ultimate betrayal, but you still have to smile and act interested whenever your friend mentions or uses their (unfairly bought) birthday present. It’s a true test of your facial expression abilities.
5. “Okay, that’s fine, I’ll just conveniently forget theirs too.”
You don’t even care about the seriously high levels of pettiness going on, this is totally justified.
6. “We’ve been talking for 10 minutes and they still haven’t said Happy Birthday.”
It must be a prank, right?
7. “Maybe I should have reminded them?”
But then you laugh at yourself for having such a ridiculous thought. People have Facebook and online calendars now – they could have even studied the astrological star constellations to work it out! There’s no excuse.
8. “Maybe they’re doing it on purpose as a joke?!”
Your inner diva leads you to think all of this ‘forgotten your birthday’ nonsense is just part of the build-up towards a big, surprise birthday spectacular. It probably isn’t.
9. “I’ll give it another hour and then I’ll definitely say something”
An hour goes by, so obviously you postpone the big confrontation for another hour. Unintentionally, it’s now turned into a standoff, but it’s more a standoff with yourself as the other person doesn’t know or care what’s going on in your head.
10. “Wait, is it actually my birthday?”
At some stage in this emotional breakdown when someone forgets your birthday, you’ll even question whether you’ve got the right day.
11. “You know what, they’ve probably got bigger fish to fry”
Maybe raising their kids is actually hard work after all… But that’s fine, your birthday will come around again next year and they definitely (probably) won’t forget it.
Make sure you don’t miss a birthday and put anybody else through this self-sabotaging turmoil. Design personalized gifts online and make their day extra special.
Excellent. Most people remember my birthday but one selfish person forgets every year. Coincidentally, the same person who’s birthday I make memorable, along with his children’s. Never again.