Birthday and friends, it’s a perfect combination.
Friends are somehow expected the most to brighten up that special day dedicated to you. In addition to congratulations and presents, a surprise birthday party can happen. You wouldn’t mind a good party on your special day.
But none of that happened, not even a single happy birthday message.
Why do friends forget each other’s birthdays? In addition to potential personal issues, they may simply forget, they do not give the same importance to birthdays or that friendship is not as perfect as it seems.
You are wondering what to do now. Should you make a whole drama or pretend nothing happened?
Drama is never a good choice, but you may need to have a difficult but honest conversation with your friends, or at least with that best friend you most expected to wish you a happy birthday.
In this article, we will explain the better reasons why your friends didn’t wish you a happy birthday, but we will also give you tips on how to handle the situation best.
Why Did Your Friends Forget Your Birthday? 4 Major Reasons
We know it sounds impossible for all your friends to forget your birthday, but at least someone should remember.
If you have a small circle of friends, all the circumstances can align, and everyone can forget about your birthday. To forget or to “forget” is the question that bothers you.
Let’s see what those potential reasons are:
1. They Simply Forgot
Not everyone is good with dates. You have to take that into account.
In today’s busy times, despite all the reminders, notes, and applications, people forget more than ever.
Everyone is overwhelmed because too much information is thrown at us constantly.
But you’re not like that. You keep that old-fashioned approach and remember everyone’s birthday without any reminders. You may even remember people’s phone numbers, and it’s well-known that nobody does that anymore.
That’s a rarity nowadays, where everyone seems too lazy to remember dates because they expect to get a notification on their phone and not have to strain their brains thinking about it.
You may remember like an elephant, but your friends don’t.
Therefore, the fact that they forgot your birthday does not mean they do not love you, but that they don’t have the same memory as you.
2. They Are Going Through a Rough Patch
This reason builds on the previous one.
What if your friends are going through some problems and completely forget that it’s your birthday?
Your friends had a lot on their plate, and your birthday may have slipped their minds.
A stressful period of struggles at work, health problems, and mental health issues, everyone can go through these situations.
Your friend might be going through something like that now, but you don’t notice because you’re too preoccupied with your birthday. Is it okay to act like that?
3. They Are Mad at You
And now we come to more concrete reasons that show that there are problems in your friendship.
Was there any argument between you and your friends? Ask yourself what kind of friend you are.
Are you someone who lies and gossips about others?
Or do you always emphasize that you are better than others and want everything to revolve around you?
Most importantly, do you give as much as you expect in your friendships?
Thinking about this before you start accusing your friends of being bad guys would be best. You should first look at yourself in the mirror and be honest.
If all this is true, don’t be surprised if your friends don’t want to hang out with you.
4. They Don’t View Birthdays The Same Way You Do
When you and your friends were younger, it seemed like the world stopped on someone’s birthday.
At that time, everyone focused on them and did everything to make that birthday boy or girl the best possible day.
Good times. You are feeling a bit nostalgic now, aren’t you?
But now you’re an adult, and things aren’t the same anymore. Birthdays are no longer as important as they used to be. They are slowly becoming a random day for everyone.
Usually, when people have children, their children’s birthdays become more important than their own.
It’s all part of life, but we must emphasize another possibility you won’t like.
What if those friendships slowly died out?
Some people move out and stop seeing each other; some have entirely different interests and priorities now and drift apart. And that is a sad reality that needs to be accepted.
Has that happened with your friendships? They faded away and have not resisted the test of time.
What Should You Do When Your Friends Forget Your Birthday?
Even though they have valid reasons, you can still be disappointed.
If their reasons have deeply disappointed you, you may think you hate your birthday because no one cares about you and you don’t want to celebrate it anymore.
That is not the solution. Instead, stop and slow down, and pay attention to the following tips:
1. Don’t Make Too Much Drama About Your Birthday
We realized that you haven’t lost that magical feeling that comes over you when your birthday is approaching.
If it means so much to you, don’t change it, you have an absolute right to enjoy the things you love, especially your birthday.
But don’t burden other people with it.
We know you would love a surprise birthday party like on “Friends” every year. But that’s impossible because you don’t live in a sitcom; you live in real life.
Lower your expectations a bit so that you don’t get disappointed.
Not everyone shares the same enthusiasm for birthdays as you do, so be understanding with your friends.
Especially if they are going through a difficult time, be supportive of them instead of getting mad at them for forgetting your birthday.
Real friends will know how to appreciate it and give you back the same when you need help.
2. Let Your Friends Know You Care About Your Birthday
Doesn’t it automatically go without saying that someone cares about their own birthday? Not really.
As we have already said, many people stop caring about their birthdays as they age. Some even hate it because it reminds them of the passing of time and how they are one year closer to death. Scary.
Never mind, you’re not that kind and want people to wish you a happy birthday.
It would be best to let them know that, although true friends should know you care about it.
How do you tell your friends you want them to wish you a happy birthday?
First of all, make sure your birthday is public on Facebook. Trust us, many more birthdays would be forgotten without that red gift emoji in the upper right corner of the Facebook home page.
Then tell them indirectly that your birthday is coming up so they don’t forget. You can say, “My birthday is in 10 days, and I’m really excited about it.” Friends will pick up on these hints.
If you think they won’t understand hints, you can tell them directly, “Hey, my birthday means a lot to me, and I’d like all my friends to congratulate me.” This may sound desperate but don’t look at it that way because your birthday is still important to you.
3. Reevaluate Your Friendships
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but it is necessary.
The fact that your friends didn’t wish you a happy birthday doesn’t have to mean anything other than that they are forgetful.
However, it may be the tip of the iceberg of friendship problems.
Who is to blame for these problems? You or your friends?
If your friends don’t respect you, you feel bad in their presence, and you even feel like you have nothing left to talk about, then what kind of friendship is that?
Will a generic “Happy Birthday” message change all that? We don’t think so.
Some friendships end by drifting apart, and some end in a more direct way. Imagine a situation where your friend doesn’t invite you to their birthday party, so what more do you expect from him anyway?
In this case, changing your social circle and, most importantly, focusing on self-love is undoubtedly better.
Also, consider your share of the blame, if there’s any.
Have you noticed a pattern in your life that your friendships don’t last long?
If you have noticed this, evaluate what kind of friend you really are instead of expecting too much from others.
All Things Considered – Should You Be Mad at Your Friends Who Forgot Your Birthday?
The answer to this question is clear, but let’s explain it most directly.
There are 365 days in a year. Even though your birthday is only one day, it is the most important to you.
What are your friends like on other days? Don’t be angry at them if they are good and respectful to you and have never forgotten anything except that one birthday.
However, if all signs indicate that they are not best friends throughout the year, the fact that they did not congratulate you on your birthday should confirm that.
Either way, we’ll be true friends and wish you a “Happy Birthday!”
We hope you have a great birthday this year.
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