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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

What should I do after my boyfriend only said "Happy birthday" and nothing more?

54 replies

Raquellezxx · 05/06/2020 12:07

My boyfriend always says he is extremely in love with me, loves me, wants to have a family with me and spend his lifetime with me. We are in a long distance relationship (we planned to see each other) but I start feeing like I've made lots of sacrifices and he still does things even though I have asked him not to.
On my birthday, I didn't expect gift but at least wishes from him manifesting his love making me special on my birthday. In return, while EVEN STRANGERS wished me tons of things, my boyfriend who actually got the gift of the gab creating long posts on social media, only said "Happy birthday'' plus emoji which made me feel awful. I am not materialistic but when I remember the fact months ago, he himself wanted to send me a gift and since I wasn't comfortable, we had a deal that he can send present to me if I forward one to him too. The result - I sent him present and he actually never did making excuses that he didn't have time for months while buying stuff for himself! Since I'm not materialistic, I forgot this and didn't pay attention but now when he didn't even give me a single wish, care, and "I love you" on my b-day, I began seeing this situation diffrrently.
When I shared with him how I felt on my special day, he was so surprised acting like ''2 more words mean nothing'' saying things like ''Sorry for not making you happy on your b-day" but he didn't mean that it was kinda sarcastic as if he got MAD AT ME? When I said that he made me sad he only wished me a goodnight and almost hung up, leaving me with feeling that I'm petty and ungrateful.. He ruined my special day and my notion for him because yes, everyone has a different way to express his love but he usually loves saying bombastic words and on my special day, while I didn't even expect material things and just love and care, he didn't even put a single effort and treated me like a stranger.
What hurts the most is that although I know I shouldn't believe men's words but actions, I actually did as initially, he seemed different. Not a womanizer, like most of the boys I have known, kind, thoughtful, caring. When we talk, everything is fine - we laugh, talk sweet things, share. But BEFORE the conversation it's me waiting him and staying up late pretending that I am not sleepy because I am happy when we talk. Although I am working now and he is not. Almost every time we talked, he was playing games saying that he can still talk to me.
I have told him it was really hard for me to stay up that late asking him just to wake up a bit earlier so that we can have more time to communicate. He said it was difficult to change his sleeping schedule and he will try but that is just not happening. There were times when after waiting him to call me, I finally suggest him to talk thinking that he is been busy so far and he's asked me is it okay if it's in 30 minutes for example, because he is still watching a movie or playing a game that would finish that time. And thus, I realized that when he woke up or going to bed, his first thing to do is play or watch something and just after that, it's me. And he even plays when we talk even then not giving me his full attention while I have always done the opposite... The simple things I wanted didn't happen.. and they are actually not very simple. Should I finally leave him after this situation, the lack of care and understanding plus his behaviour because I know that although he claimed that he was afraid of losing me and all those stuff, when we have had little fights, he almost never reached out first. I know that even now when it's his fault he still don't text, being super active on social media as if nothing happened while I lost appetite, cry and have nightmares.. he won't say sorry and even text me again until I text first?

OP posts:
Raquellezxx · 05/06/2020 23:29

I can't describe how thankful I am for your answers and pieces of advice on this hard time for me. I have been reading all of them carefully absorbing them.

Lastly, I wanna share with you that since that happened, I have been torturing myself on why is it EXTREMELY difficult for me to leave him even after all these clear red flags... You know what did I discover?

  1. Mainly because I have issues in my family, I was craving for love, calmness, peace, and care. And somehow, I thought I found the resquing in him. I assumed that he was my SHELTER + safe place. Therefore, maybe I was ignoring the signs.

  2. The other reason for feeling it so hard to leave him is the fact that I've always loved his country (I've never been with him because of that since actually, there was something that I was missing in him that I couldn't find). But with time, I began imagining and assuming that I will go from my life now (hell) to his country with him living happy, loving, peaceful life together (heaven). It's NOT about immigration or money since that's not a country with visa or something plus I wouldn't ever use someone for such a purpose. I can still go to that country but I thought that I will go and live happily there after finally finding the right guy who will just respect, care, and love me. And that's a perfectly different picture - not just going alone but going there and starting a happy relationship/family with him was like a dream come true to me...

Although I discovered the reasons why it's so painful to me, I can't still take it lightly, stop feeling sorry and I want to save myself to get over him easier. And to get rid of the awful thought that now "I am leaving the heaven and go back to hell"? Could you please give me an advice? I would be extremely thankful for each sentence!

OP posts:
Pjsallday · 05/06/2020 23:44

Have you met this man in the flesh?

Raquellezxx · 05/06/2020 23:54

Yes, we have been together for a short period.

OP posts:
TheStuffedPenguin · 06/06/2020 00:57

Where is he and where are you? How did you meet?

MMmomDD · 06/06/2020 09:24

@Raquellezxx

Sorry to say, but you have created a fantasy in your head and it’s not real. You have been chatting to a stranger on the internet, from a far away, and imaging a relationship.
Whatever issues you have in your life and your family - you need to fix it on your own. The escape to some paradise with a man who’ll heal you - doesn’t even happen in movies.
Life doesn’t work this way. Relationships don’t work this way. Sorry.

Whatever is wrong with your family and life where you are - it’s all in your hands to change it. You are young, you have all the time to do so. Get a job, move, go study, make friends, do something.

MayFayner · 06/06/2020 09:31

OP is there any way for you to leave the situation you are in now- get a job or go to study elsewhere?

Please don’t wait for a man to rescue you. It just never works out Flowers

MittensTheSerpent · 06/06/2020 09:40

Such a long post for such a small issue. If you're not happy, get rid.

MamaFirst · 06/06/2020 09:58

So you met online presumably. The majority of your relationship has been none face to face. It doesn't sound like a grown up relationship, and it certainly shouldn't be this traumatic for you this early on. End it and move on.

TitianaTitsling · 06/06/2020 10:03

he himself wanted to send me a gift and since I wasn't comfortable, we had a deal that he can send present to me if I forward one to him too. So he wanted to send you a present but you said no unless he accepted one from you?

Raquellezxx · 06/06/2020 10:07

That was long ago and yes, that's how we decided for that situation. And I have told him that gifts and material things are not important but just care, love and effort which he didn't give me on my special day.

OP posts:
stellabelle · 06/06/2020 10:13

When my DH and I were in a long-distance relationship and my birthday came along, he wrote me a poem . Not just any poem that he could have copied , but one where the first letter of each line spelled out my name. He couldn't be with me but he sent me that poem. And THAT is what a person does if they actually love you.

I'm sorry but this man sounds like a loser. He can't even get up a bit earlier so he can talk to you. You need to leave him and work on your own self esteem, instead of living in fantasy land. Good luck !

Josuk · 06/06/2020 10:27

You sound very young OP and vary naive.
You aren’t in a real relationship, it’s all mostly in your head. You created it to have some escape from your real life.
Even if it were a normal real life relationship - a bf isn’t there to compensate from issues from your past. And you can’t expect a stranger you have never met to do so.

This fantasy won’t end well as the reality won’t live up to the paradise life you seem to have imagined.
You really need to come back to real life and try to fix it here.
Do you have any friends who you can talk to?

Aussiebean · 06/06/2020 10:39

Sounds like you are in love with a fantasy but you think it is real and it will take you away from your current life.

That is not who this guy actually is.

backseatcookers · 06/06/2020 11:47

Focus on leaving him, not fixing this.

This sounds horrible but you can do it quickly and get it over with because it doesn't sound like he'll fight for you very long, if at all.

How old are you? You sound very young and / or very naive about relationships.

This is barely a relationship, it's you chasing the potential of someone instead of looking at their credentials.

He's shown you over and over again that he isn't going to behave kindly in a relationship, so you must leave him and work on why you've continued to stay until now.

C0RA · 06/06/2020 11:55

Is this a holiday romance OP?

How old are you both?

What country does he live in?

RantyAnty · 06/06/2020 17:31

You're not in a relationship or have a boyfriend. You have a penpal with a stranger online.

By what you wrote, I could have sworn you were writing about my ex husband.
Are you in SEA?

When we were married, he started an online affair with someone overseas and told her the exact same things. She also had the same goals of being rescued and started a new life with him overseas.

Unemployed, gaming, movie watching - check.

How is some lazy broke guy going to afford to bring you overseas?

Like others said, this is just a fantasy. Forget about him and find someone in person where you live.

AnnaSW1 · 06/06/2020 17:39

He's clearly not that in to you

Raquellezxx · 07/06/2020 19:00

I finally broke up with him and he didn't even try to understand and realize what I told him, not to mention that he didn't even say sorry. He was acting as if in my eyes "he did nothing for me" and that's it.. my last requests for an advice for you are:

  1. I know he didn't play with me on 100% and part of the powerful words he was telling me were honest. But most of his actions were showing the opposite. What do you thing was it from his side? Emotional inmature, lack of feeling to put his priorities, 50/50 behaviour, not that into me although all the words, or gaming addiction?

I know it's over but I want to know what was all about and what was that on his side.. From what I told you in this thread, what's your opinion?

  1. Do you think that is normal when a man never reach out after a fight? From what I know from my friends, that's also a bad sign that shows that he doesn't care that much + has a huge ego.. and in normal successful relationships, if you really love your partner, you can't wait to reunite and not be in bad terms anymore. And usually, reaching out should be from both sides, and not always from the one partner (me in our case), even when the opposite partner is wrong?
OP posts:
SunshineCake · 07/06/2020 19:27

Oh my god. Let it go. You aren't ready for a relationship. He wasn't the love of your life. Work on yourself and don't look for a man to make you feel better about yourself.

gamerchick · 07/06/2020 19:35

I agree man, you're not ready for a relationship. You seem to be looking for someone to save you.

You'll only meet dicks if you feel like that. Time to work on yourself so a man is a welcome addition to your life, not someone who becomes your everything in life.

Igtg · 07/06/2020 19:48

What was he supposed to do for your birthday if he was in another country at the time?

TorkTorkBam · 07/06/2020 19:54

Neither of you were ready for a relationship by the sounds of it.

You are massively overthinking a nothing of a relationship. Most of the good bits were made up in your head.

Fantasising about totally made up happily ever afters is safer done "partnered" with a fantasy pop star tbh.

You were too emotionally immature to react appropriately to his actions. Work on that.

iklboo · 07/06/2020 20:03

Pound to a penny he's married or in a long term relationship. Or you're not the only one he's stringing along. You've never met properly apart from a short period, he verbally love bombed you but does even give a toss you've ended it.

chubbyhotchoc · 07/06/2020 21:11

I only needed to read the title. I would dump a boyfriend who didn't get me at least a token on my birthday

DPotter · 07/06/2020 22:40

Don't waste your time trying to understand why he behaved as he did. You will never move forward if you do.
It would be better to try and understand why you have fallen for someone you have only met for a short time. As someone else said - you've fallen for a fantasy, not a real person. I appreciate your feelings are real, but your view of this man is pure fantasy.

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