My Husband Thinks I’m Overreacting After He Forgot My Birthday

My husband forgot my birthday, and when I confronted him about it, he acted like I was overreacting. It made me feel completely unimportant in our marriage. Now I’m questioning whether I should have just let it go or if my feelings are valid.

Background Information

My husband and I have been together for eight years, married for five. We both have busy schedules, but we’ve always tried to celebrate special occasions. In past years, he’s at least given me a small gift or taken me out for dinner. I never expected anything extravagant, just acknowledgment. But this year was different—he didn’t even remember.

The Main Conflict

The morning of my birthday, I woke up excited, but my husband didn’t say a word. I waited all day, thinking maybe he had something planned for the evening. When he got home from work, I casually said, “Did you forget what today is?”

He looked confused for a second before replying, “Oh… was it today? My bad.” That was it. No apology, no attempt to make it up to me.

I told him I was hurt, and he just sighed and said, “You’re overreacting. It’s just a birthday.”

The Aftermath

I felt completely dismissed. I didn’t want a huge celebration, but I at least wanted him to acknowledge the day. When I told my sister, she was furious on my behalf. Meanwhile, my husband acted like nothing was wrong.

He even told me later, “I don’t get why you’re so upset. It’s not like I did it on purpose.” That stung even more. It wasn’t about intent—it was about how little he seemed to care.

Community Reaction

“Forgetting is one thing, but doubling down and making you feel bad for being hurt? That’s a red flag.”

“I get that birthdays aren’t a big deal to everyone, but he could’ve at least apologized and tried to make it up to you.”

“You’re not overreacting. Your feelings are valid, and he should respect that.”

“If he forgot and then made an effort to fix it, that would be different. His reaction is the real issue.”

“You need to have a serious talk about how this made you feel. If he dismisses you again, that’s a bigger problem.”

Final Thoughts

At first, I wondered if I was really overreacting, but seeing how others responded made me feel validated. It’s not just about forgetting—it’s about how he dismissed my feelings.

Should I try to make him understand, or is this a sign of a bigger issue in our marriage? Have you ever been in a similar situation?