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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you care about booking your own birthday meal?

20 replies

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:07

Not a LTB situation but a bit annoying

I booked theatre tickets in London for my birthday. I also booked the hotel.

For my birthday my partner is cooking a meal for me and giving me presents. The next day we're going to London.

So I said let's both look at restaurants to book this weekend and get it sorted by Sunday before everything is booked for next week

His reply: 'I can look on Monday maybe'. Previously said he would sort it.

He's working over the weekend so he's busy but I just think - I wanted to feel special for one weekend of the year. Would you care?

OP posts:
FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:07

For the record he does book meals at other times of the year

OP posts:
TheClawDecides · 18/10/2024 20:09

You've booked the theatre tickets and you've booked the hotel, so you might as well book the restaurant.

He's not fussed about your birthday is he? What's he like about his own?

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:12

@TheClawDecides it's the 'Maybe' that annoys me

He comes from a family that doesn't make a fuss about birthdays. Then this year his family actually came to visit and left the day before his birthday!

I made it up for it and he said I made it special for a change. I told him we make a fuss in my family and it's something I care about.

OP posts:
Quitelikeit · 18/10/2024 20:18

This is a common thing on here.

It’s tricky isn’t it? You’ve told him it’s important to you but he simply doesn’t get it - the question is - is it because he is lazy or simply just doesn’t understand the importance due to his own experiences growing up?

I don’t know if I could be bothered to go to war over this. My husband has forgotten to give me a card, given me no present and on another birthday we were supposed to go for a meal but he didn’t bother to book it. Sounds quite bad 🤣🤣 we just laughed it off.

However if I didn’t get a Mother’s Day card that would really really upset me and there would be a war over that!!

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:22

@Quitelikeit the issue is that he originally told me he would book it so I didn't need to think about it.

Now I understand he's busy with work this weekend which is probably why he's saying Monday but it sounds so non committal rather than excited to make it special?

We're just under a couple of years into this relationship and I don't want to set a low bar for the future here...

OP posts:
Fidgety31 · 18/10/2024 20:23

It wouldn’t bother me . At least you know you’re gonna like it if you’ve booked it !
some people just aren’t planners !

ExtraOnions · 18/10/2024 20:24

A birthday is one day .. how is he the rest of the year?

People get very hung up that this one day, like it top trumps all the others .. it really doesn’t.

I see love in bringing you a brew every morning, being genuinely interested in your day, celebrating your successes, cheerleading when you are down.

Anyone with a phone can book a restaurant, it’s proof of nothing.

Quitelikeit · 18/10/2024 20:25

He said he will do it so you should not try to dictate the day on which he does?

However you have left it rather late if you want to get into any of the top restaurants- I made this mistake myself once!!

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:28

@ExtraOnions the rest of the year he's pretty good.

Runs me baths & places a glass of wine next to it after a long day. Reserves meals at other times of the year. And he does celebrate my successes yes.

But birthdays are important to me. I don't feel like settling for not having it nicely celebrated. Which I did for him this year.

OP posts:
FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:33

Quitelikeit · 18/10/2024 20:25

He said he will do it so you should not try to dictate the day on which he does?

However you have left it rather late if you want to get into any of the top restaurants- I made this mistake myself once!!

I know what you're saying but he only said he'd 'maybe' do it. I need a bit more certainty!

The PP is right - us women go to so much effort for the men in our lives. Mine might book something if he feels like it!

OP posts:
ExtraOnions · 18/10/2024 20:35

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:28

@ExtraOnions the rest of the year he's pretty good.

Runs me baths & places a glass of wine next to it after a long day. Reserves meals at other times of the year. And he does celebrate my successes yes.

But birthdays are important to me. I don't feel like settling for not having it nicely celebrated. Which I did for him this year.

You did what you thought was “nice” on his birthday, now you want to do what you think is “nice” on your birthday .. when does he get a say in all this?

Sometimes I wonder whether people want to do these things to post on Social Media .. to prove to others how “special” they are.

I’ve been married for 20 years, and there is a lot more to it than “who booked the restaurant” on a birthday.

TreeofStrife · 18/10/2024 20:36

Nah wouldn’t bother me. In fact I booked my own the other week 😂

FaithD · 18/10/2024 20:37

@ExtraOnions I guarantee you I don't care about posting it on social media.

We decided together what to do in his birthday and afterwards he thanked me for making it special, which he isn't used to.

...but yes. It's not a LTB situation, so I might need to put up with it.

OP posts:
OilyTussle · 18/10/2024 20:39

Neither of us have bothered to book a meal for my birthday (I have booked for DH birthday a week after mine, but that’s mainly because friends are coming with us).
I’ve bought my own present as well and left it for him to wrap.
It’d be nice to have a fuss made, but actually I think on balance I’d rather he was doing little things all year round.

Hollyhocksandlarkspur · 18/10/2024 20:41

I have just booked for mine. I care much more about morning tea in bed, caring when you’re ill, being patient when things hard, showing kindness to other people, being able to share and compromise and being calm and even tempered. Who books a meal is not the most important thing. Over the years together you will probably evolve a family way of your own that mixes both your experiences and preferences.

IfIToldYouThisAboutMe · 18/10/2024 20:44

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. In fact I'm the one who books everything all the time. I prefer it that way

FiveLoadsFourLiftsThreeMeals · 18/10/2024 20:47

hmm different priorities.

I only cook my husband's favourite meal and make his favourite cake and make sure the children have token presents for him (nowadays I only have to make sure the youngest does, the older ones don't need reminding). I don't do anything else except avoid being out on the evening of his birthday and don't buy him a present.

He buys me a present but doesn't make or buy a cake nor cook. Sometimes we go out on my birthday, sometimes we get a takeaway - I won't cook on my birthday but I used to order/ book and he'd pay - nowadays the teenage kids will sometimes do the booking or ordering.

But then we agreed that back when I wasn't earning much as I was mostly home with small children, and although we both find children's birthdays important and celebrate our children with party/ presents/ cake/ meal neither of us really get celebrating adult birthdays extravagantly.

If it's very important to you, you have to make sure he really understands this. If he understands and doesn't care the relationship might not be right for you - not because of anything intrinsic to birthday celebrations but because he should care about what's really upsetting/ important to you.

However if he doesn't care about birthday celebrations then making a big deal of his is for you, not for him.

It works both ways and youboth have to care about what's important to one another, not expect the other to be grateful for things you would want but they don't.

The "different love languages" idea is cheesy but does make sense here.

If you love red wine and he loves white wine, he should care enough to buy a bottle of red sometimes but you should care enough about him to buy him a bottle of white sometimes too, not expect him to agree red is just better and be grateful when you buy him a really expensive red... (metaphor obviously).

Is it your hill to die on?

It depends whether he cares about what makes you happy enough to prioritise that, and it depends whether this is really important and whether you've really clearly told him how important and central to feeling loved and appreciated and known this is to you, not just "we do this".

Laiste · 18/10/2024 20:49

About 20 years ago i would have been feeling just the same OP.

Now i'm older .... and of course i would still love to have DH sweep me off my feet to some swanky date for my birthday, with me all surprised and amazed at how he booked the perfect evening without my input ..... but that aint gonna happen! 😂

What does happen is that for 365 days a year he's been there for me if/when i need him and we love each other. OK he's not so good at birthday surprises but he's my rock.

Let it go and enjoy your birthday Flowers

SoNiceToComeHomeTo · 18/10/2024 21:17

It sounds stressful to have this anxiety every year. Birthdays are not something he cares about much and it might be easier just to accept that and roll your eyes rather than being upset.

Shinyandnew1 · 18/10/2024 21:21

My DH would love a meal out but really wouldn’t be fussed about booking somewhere-he’d just wander round till he found somewhere with a table free. I prefer to book so I know we’re sorted but neither is right or wrong.

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