I (21F) didn’t attend my brother’s (25M) bachelor’s graduation ceremony, and now my family is saying I’m selfish and that “the world doesn’t revolve around me.”
I’m also in college working toward my bachelor’s degree, and I work full-time in vet med as a technician. I wasn’t told the date or time of his graduation ceremony until 2 days before it happened. I was already scheduled to work from 8 AM–6 PM that day, and 3 other people had already requested it off. Since we were already short-staffed, I was unable to take the day off. I told my family multiple times that I wouldn’t be able to make it. I did attend his commencement on Wednesday evening, but his convocation (where he walked) was Friday afternoon while I was at work.
The day of the ceremony, my mom kept calling and texting me while I was assisting in surgery, so I couldn’t answer right away. After work, I drove to my parents’ house, congratulated my brother, and told him how proud I was of him. I thought everything was fine, but the next day my mom called me and yelled at me, saying the whole family was upset with me and that my brother was especially hurt. She was the only one who actually said anything directly to me.
I understand why they wanted me there, but I had explained multiple times that I couldn’t get off work with less than 48 hours’ notice. Also, when I graduated high school, my brother didn’t attend because he chose to go to a church event instead (with zero repercussions). So, AITA?