Reply #18: Don't let him turn the focus on himself.

[Divernan]

And don't "ignore the issue altogether." It's far from enough for him to say what HE feels like - I mean if you reminded him less than a week a before about when your birthday was coming, he had AMPLE notice. It's not so much that he forgot your birthday, as that he chose to ignore your birthday. For some reason, he blocked it out. The issue before him is how badly he made YOU feel, and what does he plan to do to make it up to YOU. Your birthday is the one day a year that IS all about you.

Is the guy strapped for cash? Is he typically tight with money? Does he remember his mom or dad's birthdays? Have you been together such a short time this is the first birthday for either of you? (I know some guys who have staged a fight with their girl friend right before a birthday or Christmas just to avoid having to pay for a big night out/gift.)

That said, relationships aren't a function of how much money a guy will spend on you - it truly is the thought that counts - if someone is short on cash, they can remember your birthday in many inexpensive ways. But if all he has to do when he hurts your feelings is tell you how badly HE feels, then he's learned he can get by with bad behavior very easily.
And now you have Christmas coming up. Better have a conversation about that in advance - like setting a spending range on gifts.
Anyhoo - happy birthday, and many, many more! Have a great year.