Does birthday celebration matter?
By Saheed Ibrahim & Bukunmi Olubo
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Birthday is a special day. It is always celebrate with pomp and pageantry. It is signify the day one enters into this world. This is why some people spend lavishly on their birthdays to celebrate this unique and ever memorable day. Many parents no matter their status, rich of poor also ensure they throw parties for their kids, so that, their friends can felicitate with them. Those who cannot celebrate every year usually celebrate when they attain certain ages such as 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and so on.
In marriages (even in dating and courtship), partners celebrate each other’s birthday and use the day to shower love and gifts on themselves. Many of them organised special birthday parties for their spouse while some usually take to the social media to celebrate the day with their partners.
At different are quarters, there had been a lingering argument whether it was right for one to forget his/her partners’ birthday. Many people argued that their birthdays were very important and must be remembered by their spouses while some people argued that there was no crime in it. A cross section of people from different locations, who spoke with The Hope shared their opinions.
Mr Jimoh Fatoki said, “that it is no crime and it does not matter to him if his spouse forgets his birthday”. He however noted that in some relationships, when a man forgets his partner’s birthday, the relationship will not remain the same again.
Miss Titilope Adeneye emphatically stated that her husband must not dare forget her birthday because it will show he does not really care about her. In her words, “I see no reason why someone will forget his/her partner’s birthday because if you claim you love someone, everything about that person should matter to you. It is a significant day you cannot afford to forget. It can be disastrous to forget”
Mr Elijah Fabule stated that he did not really care about it, adding that birthdays were just normal days to him and he did not care if his partner remember or not. He however noted that when it comes to ladies, it was not a debate to them. “Ladies always want to celebrate their birthdays and their partners must be ready to celebrate with them”, he added
Mrs Oluwakemi Lawal in her own reaction said it depends on the level at which the relationship is, but to her, it matters a lot for her husband to remember her birthday. “It shows that my husband remembers me and all that matters to me”, she stated.
Miss Mistura Lawal stated that “personally, there are so many things I do not fancy and birthday is one of them. It is nice but I am not bent on doing stuff. However, if we are marry, I would expect you to remember and wish me happy birthday and try to make it worthwhile. Some people are bad with dates and I am guilty of this, so I would understand if anyone, including my partner, does not remember”.
She added that “There are some people who would not mind because they are moved by something else. But if you are with someone that likes birthday, stuff then you should know that is what makes the person happy”
Miss Mojisola Adeleke, while reacting to this, opined that it was not a big deal for her man to forget her birthday because, “birthday is like every other day’. Relationship should not depend on whether we remember our birthdays or not but the fact that we both love each other”.
Mr Oluwatosin Ogunmakinju was of the opinion that wasforgetting your partner’s birthday was too bad. “On which account will she forget? Why will she forget about my birthday? What is she going to tell me she was thinking? He querried. He stated that forgetting about his birthday means “she don forget me be that”.
Mrs Damilola Olaiya said that “it matters; big time. That means your partner is not important to you. When you forget, it means they are not relevant.”
To Mrs Feyisara Omonori, she asked , “Why will he forget? It is another thing if he doesn’t have the means or be there to celebrate with me but he has to call and/celebrate me whichever way he can”.
Oluwasegun Dayo said, “It doesn’t matter because a lot of things are on mind and it is very common for most spouses. As for me, I don’t really keep it in my head until it comes. Annual celebration of birthday is a very long period to forget”.
Mrs Oladunni Adebayo said it matters because if her husband loves her, he should be able to remember her birthday and if he doesn’t love her, he should not remember it.
Also speaking with The Hope, Mr Joseph Usman opined that ,”it’s not his wife’s fault because he himself sometimes does not remember his birthday, adding that his parents do reminded him of his birthday. So, to him, it does not matter whether his partner remember or not”.
“Every relationship is built on understanding: knowing what your partner likes and dislikes. What works for a marriage may not work for another. So, from the on-set, partners must ensure they know what their partners cherish or crave.
So, one’s you have discovered your partner loves his or her birthday to be remembered, or celebrated, then one must try to live up to that expectation. However, whether the day is cherished or not a token of love through verbal wish, text message, a token gift will show you also care and remember your partner always.
