Boyfriend hypes up 'birthday surprise' only to reveal it's a random secondhand poster of a skyline

Is it really the thought that counts? Or is it something else?

Giving gifts is not the easiest thing in the world. People can be hard to buy for in certain cases. Maybe they're the friend that "has everything," and they have very specific tastes, and you don't want to give them something that they won't use. This is where we hear the term "it's the thought that counts." Maybe we didn't knock it out of the park with our item selection, but we showed that we cared, and that was almost enough. But how far does this phrase go? And who does it extend to?

We hope that the people who are closest to us in life know us pretty well. We hope that they understand our hopes and wants and desires, because if they don't, then who will? Especially our partners. You don't choose your family, but you do choose your romantic partners, so your expectations of them might be a little bit higher. You might expect that they would be able to choose something that you would like. It may not be perfect, but it should be above average. Because all it takes to be a good gift-giver is to be a good listener, and you hope that the people whose company you keep are listening to you. It's kind of their job to listen to you.

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Am I in the wrong for feeling disappointed after my 'birthday surprise' was just a random poster?

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Commenters gave their takes on the situation.

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But that's not what happened in this story, where a couple found themselves in a rough patch after a birthday gift went awry. The boyfriend thought he had really gone off and made an excellent gift decision. The girlfriend didn't think so. So they found themselves at an impasse where nobody was happy. The answer in these situations is always to communicate, but that's not always easy or available. Scroll on to read what was happening in this story and then let us know what you thought about it in the comments. Sometimes you need an outside opinion or two to really let you know how you're doing.
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