Never Forget those Important Days

One of the things which women complain about is when we forget those important days in our lives. You know what I mean; have you ever forgotten her birthday, or your anniversary? If you did, your wife probably blew a gasket. In all fairness, I’d have to say that when something like that happens, she really do have justifiable grounds to complain.

Forgetting an anniversary is like saying, “My marriage isn’t important.” Now, I know that your marriage is important to you, or you wouldn’t bother reading this blog. However, you don’t have to prove it to me, you’ve got to prove it to your wife; and you’ve got to prove it over and over again.

I’m not really sure where the idea of celebrating anniversaries and birthdays come from. Suffice it to say that both are long-standing customs around the world. So, where it came from and why we celebrate them isn’t anywhere near as important as the reality of their existence. That’s what we have to deal with.

Part of the importance on her part comes from the fact that she’s relationally focused. As men, you and I build our lives around the things which we do. For our wives, it’s built around the relationships which they have. Since birthdays and especially anniversaries deal with relationships, it’s not surprising that those days would be important to them.

In today’s modern world, there’s really no excuse for forgetting. Our cell phones, PDAs, tablets and computers all have the capability of reminding us of those all-important days; all we have to do is program it in. Let me give you a secret here. Don’t just program in the day, program a reminder in a few days ahead of time. In other words, program your anniversary in, then program in a reminder, every day for at least three days beforehand (better yet, a week). That way, you have a bit of time to plan, make reservations and buy her a gift.

It’s always easier to celebrate a special day when you have a little time to plan. Granted, your wife will appreciate the flowers you buy her at the last minute. But, she’d appreciate it a whole lot more if you went out and bought her some diamond earrings. Of course, if you only set an alarm to remind you on your anniversary, you might not have time to go out and buy those earrings.

It’s also much more romantic if you plan where you are going to take her, instead of asking her at the last minute, “Well, where do you want to go?” Even if you want her input on the restaurant choice, you’re much better off getting that a few days ahead of time, instead of at the last minute. Asking her three days ahead of time sends the message that you’re thinking about your upcoming anniversary. Waiting till the day makes it sound like you had forgotten.

Finally, if something happens, like a trip out of town, which would prevent you from being able to go out on your anniversary, always make sure you celebrate ahead of time. Celebrating ahead is okay, but celebrating late sends the message that your work is more important than your marriage. You don’t want to do that.