How many times have you heard that? “Sorry, I’ve been busy.” “I meant to get back to you, but I’ve had so much going on.”

Sometimes people aren’t too busy. You’re just not a priority.

But there’s another side to this. Not everybody lives with their phone glued to their hand. Some men come home, put their phone down, spend time with their families, and don’t look at it again until the next morning. Others are genuinely overwhelmed with work, responsibilities, and life itself. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I think we’ve reached a point where people confuse accessibility with obligation. Just because somebody can reach you instantly doesn’t mean they’re entitled to an instant response.

Personally, if I send you a message and it’s not urgent, I couldn’t care less if you respond two or three days later. I’ve got a life to live, and I assume you do too.

But here’s where I draw the distinction. Being busy is understandable. Being consistently dismissive is something entirely different.

If someone repeatedly makes time for everything and everyone except you, eventually you have to accept what their actions are telling you. And that doesn’t mean you get angry, chase them, or demand their attention. You simply adjust your expectations.

Because here’s something I’ve learned over the years: A delayed response doesn’t always reveal your place in someone’s life. But a consistent pattern of disregard eventually will.

And brothers, don’t measure your worth by how quickly somebody responds to a message. You’ve got better things to do with your life than stare at a phone waiting for someone to acknowledge you.