People in a relationship can get caught up in their everyday routine, making their connection feel less special. To prevent this, couples need to constantly celebrate each other and the milestones of their life together.
From saying "I love you" to organizing a surprise date night, the possibilities are virtually endless.
All that you need to do is recognize what is important to you and your partner and focus on those things.
But keeping the spark burning can be harder than it sounds. And content creator Laura Danger recently stumbled across a video that vividly illustrates this harsh truth.
Recently, a TikTok video went viral where a disappointed woman lets her husband know he forgot their wedding anniversary
Content creator Laura Danger saw it and immediately thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about relationship satisfaction
More specifically, the way partners should recognize what's important to one another
She looked at the comments under the original video
And shared her own take on the topic
Image credits: thatdarnchat
We managed to get in touch with Laura and she agreed to tell us more about what inspired her to share her thoughts. "I feel really strongly that these 'funny' videos, like the one of the guy forgetting his anniversary, go so viral because a lack of care in relationships is really normalized in our society," she told Bored Panda. "Sitcoms, TV shows and movies, and even whole accounts on social media are created in an effort to poke fun at how men are fools who can't remember anything or need to be directed around the house. I don't think it's fair and I think normalizing this type of dynamic, laughing at it, means a lot of partners suffer in silence or make light of it because it actually hurts so much."
"I've been talking about these viral videos of '#coupleshumor' jokes for about a year and my comment sections are constantly flooded with partners who talk about how heartbreaking it is when their spouse doesn't pay attention to things that matter to them," the content creator added. "I think it's sad that we laugh at this lack of care and I like to use my platform to try to raise the bar of what partnership looks like."
Laura said her comment section under this particular video was "full of people saying how relatable it was and how much it hurt them when their spouse forgot their birthday, left their stocking empty, or repeatedly let them down on big dates."
She really feels for these people and finds it heartbreaking to see how common such situations are and how "normal" it is to "have a partner who doesn't think it's important enough to make an effort in making their partner feel loved."
"I'm so glad I can bring awareness to the low social expectations around partnership but it really breaks my heart that for so long we've just laughed and made jokes about it. There's nothing funny about hurting your partner's feelings," she said.
Laura's video also went viral
Many experts would agree with Laura. Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., who is a clinical psychologist and host of The Kurre and Klapow Show, for example, thinks that it's crucial for both you and your partner to intentionally honor your special occasions.
"Celebrating anniversaries, marking relationship milestones, [and] making the relationship a priority is critical to the survival of the relationship," he said. "Making sure that the relationship is nurtured is the responsibility of both partners … That means making the effort to honor the relationship by not missing big milestones like anniversaries."
As we saw from the video, clearly it can feel painful if your significant other forgets your anniversary. But it doesn't necessarily mean that they're over you. As with so many things in life, these situations are a little more nuanced, and while it's likely just to be an honest moment of forgetfulness, considering the mistake's context will let you know when it's a red flag.
"Forgetting is human," Klapow said. He thinks you should look at it holistically before jumping to any conclusions about the fate of your relationship. "The meaning of this forgetfulness can range from a true accident to a lack of priority around the anniversary date to a lack of priority around the relationship itself," he explained.
If it was a one-time deal, it's probably best to not get too caught up in it. But if you've been specific and clearly stated that celebrating an anniversary is important to you, and they still dropped the ball for the third time in four years, then it might be indicative of something more problematic.
Since communication in a relationship is a two-way street, make sure to verbalize your priorities. "At some point, it is important to let them know that while it may not be important to them, it is extremely important to you," Klapow added.
Be honest and give them the benefit of the doubt. But even if your partner is apologetic when you're highlighting the importance of anniversaries to you, their actions should be sincere, too. "Apologizing is great, but if it is important to you and you express that to your partner, they shouldn't forget repeatedly," Klapow said.
Part of loving someone is trying to give them what they need, and you should be confident that your partner does this for you.
"I am a huge advocate for explicit communication," Laura Danger said. "Sometimes we think, 'Oh, I love this person, so obviously we have the same values. Of course, we're going to think the same things are important.' The truth is that a lot of us fall in love and think the rest will fall in line."
"I use the Fair Play method in my own marriage and I coach other couples in how to use it. It's a set of communication tools that helps you actually sit down and talk about what matters to you and why. Instead of assuming, you intentionally discuss what's most important to you. Men are not incapable of remembering dates, but it helps if they understand why they're important to their partner. Simply put: talk about it," she explained.
Laura offers workshops and coaching on the subject of partnership and division of labor, so if any of you related to the video she posted, she wants to emphasize that you're allowed to expect care and consideration from your partner.
Here's what people said after watching it
