Feeling underappreciated is awful and it’s natural to want to avoid that feeling and make ourselves valued again.

But accomplishing that isn’t easy. See how things went down with this couple.

I was told to only do what I’m asked, so I did exactly that

My girlfriend and I had a small argument a while back about me “doing things without being asked.” Nothing huge, just normal everyday stuff.

I’d do little things like grabbing food on the way home, starting chores early, handling small things before they turned into a problem.

She didn’t appreciate his efforts.

She said it made her feel like I was deciding things for both of us and told me very clearly, just do what I ask, nothing extra.

So I took that seriously. Like actually seriously. I stopped doing anything unless she directly asked for it. I didn’t remind her about stuff, didn’t take initiative, didn’t help ahead of time.

If she didn’t say it out loud, it didn’t get done. I wasn’t sarcastic or rude about it either, just calm and very literal. You didn’t ask, so I didn’t do it.

After some time she started getting frustrated. Things she was used to just happening suddenly weren’t. Plans took longer, small inconveniences kept stacking up.

So she started asking why I felt distant or checked out lately.

Then his efforts didn’t pay off.

I reminded her that I was doing exactly what she told me to do, only doing things when she explicitly asks me to.

She really didn’t like that answer. Now she says I’m being petty and intentionally unhelpful, but from my side I was just following her rule to the letter.

I honestly thought thats what she wanted, and now somehow I’m the bad guy for it.

Here is what people are saying.

Who does he think he’s fooling?

Double standards suck.

Wild idea!

Being snarky to seek respect is a an interesting choice.

You say this like it’s a bad thing.

They’re both toxic.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.