you’re communicating

If you repeatedly have to tell someone the same exact thing about how you feel and nothing changes, understand they don't respect you. Let that sink in. When you open up about your feelings, your needs, or what hurts you, you’re not nagging—you’re communicating. You’re giving them an opportunity to understand you better and grow with you. But when your words fall on deaf ears over and over again, it’s not a misunderstanding—it’s a choice. A choice to ignore, to dismiss, to minimize what matters to you.

Someone who truly cares will listen the first time. Maybe they won’t get it perfectly, but they will try. They’ll reflect, adjust, and take accountability—not because you forced them to, but because your feelings matter to them. Respect isn’t proven by how often someone apologizes—it’s revealed by how they change their behavior after you express yourself.

If you’re constantly repeating yourself, waiting for them to “get it,” hoping they’ll finally treat you with the love and respect you deserve, ask yourself this: How much more of yourself are you willing to give to someone who’s shown you they aren’t willing to grow for you?

Remember, love without respect is manipulation. Attention without effort is a distraction. And staying silent just to keep the peace often costs you your own. You deserve someone who hears you the first time and shows you, not just tells you, that your voice matters.