Dear Miss Emily,

My boyfriend and I have been together just a little over a year. Our one year anniversary was about a month ago. When I called to see if he remembered (he had forgotten) and said he thought he had a few more days and apologized. I was a bit disappointed but didn't really make a huge deal about it. We are in a long distance relationship for some part of our relationship. So he came to visit a week after and we had a good time together. I gave him a gift for our anniversary and he told me that he got me a present but forgot it when he was coming up to visit. He even told me what he got me, and said he would send it to me. The gift I got him were tickets to a certain event which is coming up. He seems very excited about it. But he has yet to send me to gift he told me he got for me and he never mentions it. I don't know whether I should bring it up or just let this go?

-------------------------------Miss Emily's advice---------------------------

It's hard to know for sure if that gift is sitting on the kitchen table or was never purchased. If I had a dime for every person who used that line when they were caught short, I'd be living in the south of France, right now, and too busy drinking wine and getting a tan to write my column! It's a fact that a large percentage of men aren't into the anniversary rituals. Even in marriage, many fall short of the mark. I would let this go, because it seems demeaning on your part to ask why the gift hasn't been sent. It's a little lie if, indeed, he was lying about it. However, if you're the type of person who wants her guy to be on top of this sort of thing, I think he is not the man for you. But it may take a long time replacing him with the "metrosexual" who brings the gift with a pink ribbon to make his lady happy -- especially on a one-year dating anniversary. If the relationship works in all other ways, again, let this slide and weigh the attentive against the inattentive behavior. It's all a balancing act, and if it tips too far in the negative zone, it's time to work it out, or get out.