It’s normal not to feel the same emotions as your partner while reacting to the same situation. Being in a relationship doesn’t automatically make you the same person. However, it’s important to recognize and notice when something is important to your partner and react appropriately. If your wife says Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is her favorite movie, it’s probably best not to call her an uncultured fool for even considering that trash to be one of the best movies of all time. If your husband is upset that the Eagles lost the Super Bowl, it’s not advisable to bully him for caring about something as inconsequential as a football game. Those examples are kind of easy, so let’s move on to something harder. If your wife wants to celebrate her 17-year-old nonverbal son’s first words, it’s smart to celebrate with her instead of questioning why she’d want to celebrate that in the first place. You’d think that one would be obvious, but not everybody is blessed with a modicum of empathy.