Family may be family, but not every parent earns a front-row seat to their child’s achievements.

When one daughter celebrated a big life milestone, she chose to tell the man who showed up for her when her biological dad didn’t.

The ambivalence she felt forced her to confront what family truly meant to her.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for not telling my Biological Dad I was accepted to a University?

Me (28F) have never had a good relationship with my biological dad. He was an alcoholic and just all around not a good person.

I recently got accepted to a major university and did not tell my biological dad.

She did have someone else she wanted to tell.

However, I made sure that my “chosen dad” (the man who stepped up in my life when my biological dad was not there) heard it directly from me as soon as I found out.

But soon someone else made her second-guess her decision.

Someone made a comment to me about it being wrong that I told my chosen dad but not my biological dad that I was accepted.

She thinks her decision is only fair.

I have recently taken on the attitude that my biological dad was never there for me when I needed him and actually caused a lot of problems for me.

So, he doesn’t deserve to be there when I’m “on top of the world,” so to speak.

However, with the comment being made that it was wrong not to tell my biological dad, I’m now second-guessing myself.

So… AITA??

Her decision might have ruffled some feathers, but she was only staying true to herself.

What did Reddit think?

It was her dad’s behavior that got him into this mess, and now he’s just going to have to deal with it.

She shouldn’t let someone else’s ill-informed judgments throw her off from where she knows she’s supposed to be.

The decision on who she wants to share big news with is hers and hers alone.

True familial bonds come from the people who actually support us.

Family shouldn’t be defined merely by who raised you, but who actually bothered to stick by your side.

Maybe it wasn’t the traditional choice, but it was the honest one.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.