SINGAPORE: A man in Singapore is feeling unusually bitter about his girlfriend of a year and a half after realising that he was the only man among his friends who did not receive a single gift from his partner on Valentine’s Day.
On Sunday (Feb 15), he took to social media, explaining that he had gone all out to impress his girlfriend on their second Valentine’s Day together. He took her out for a nice meal, planned romantic activities, and gave her gifts. They spent the entire day together and genuinely enjoyed the occasion.
However, everything changed after he scrolled through his friends’ social media accounts.
“I realised that most of my male friends either had social media dedications/gifts from their girlfriends, or both,” he said. “I felt quite sour, as my girlfriend had prepared none.”
“After bottling up my disappointment the entire day, I inadvertently blurted out that I didn’t even have a card. A miscommunication then arose when I noticed that she was on ChatGPT crafting a Valentine’s message, which she explained that she was using to refine her draft, but in that instance, I assumed she was GPT-ing a Valentine’s card on the spot.”
The man said that he eventually broke down in frustration.
His girlfriend, in turn, told him she doesn’t have any “room for his insecurities” and admitted she didn’t even know “she was supposed to give or prepare anything for Valentine’s Day.”
“I have been a very consistent boyfriend and will also go the extra mile for her. However, sometimes just some words of gratitude, acknowledgement of my actions, and tiny gestures can go a long way.”
Unsure of how to deal with the situation, he asked the online community, “Couples of Reddit, could you please advise me on what I should do?”
“You could have communicated your thoughts on this months before Valentine’s.”
Opinions in the comments section were split. Some people felt the man’s girlfriend had been inconsiderate and immature, as she never took accountability for her mistake.
One said, “I don’t think your girlfriend is willing to put in effort—the GPT crap is already bad enough (likely story she’s just ‘refining’), and then you have her saying ‘she does not have room for your insecurities’—please. Grow a spine, call her out, and if she isn’t willing to change, move on.”
Another wrote, “She displayed no consideration for your feelings, no love, no empathy. Worse, no accountability or repair efforts, but shifting blame instead.”
A third told him, “If she’s always a taker and not a giver, then she simply isn’t relationship material.”
Others, however, disagreed, saying that the man should have been more vocal about his expectations.
One commented, “You could have communicated your thoughts on this months before Valentine’s. Not sure why you threw a tantrum over a matter that’s not discussed prior.”
Another pointed out, “Did you expect any gifts from the 1st Valentine day? If not, what’s the difference now and then? I do understand reciprocity is required for a good relationship, but it’s always better if you can be direct with her about your emotional needs.”
A few commenters went a step further and framed the whole mess as a classic case of mismatched love languages.
One said, “It seems that the 2 of you have extremely different love languages, and expectations are very misaligned.”
Another added, “Both have faults. Not saying you should give up on the relationship, but this is one of those make-or-break points. Either you guys come to a consensus and understand each other better, or break because you guys find that the expectations and communication cannot be bridged.”
In other news, a 25-year-old man has turned to Reddit for advice after his mother began pressuring him to end his relationship, citing his girlfriend’s allegedly “poorer background” as the main reason for her disapproval.
Sharing his dilemma on the r/sgdatingscene forum, the man explained that he comes from a relatively “well-off, traditional Chinese-Indonesian family.”
Read more: ‘She’s poorer’: Man seeks advice after mum pressures him to dump girlfriend over background
