Good intentions aren’t always enough.

So, what would you do if guests arrived unexpectedly while you were in the middle of an online class and not dressed appropriately? Would you go greet them regardless of how you look? Or would you just plan to give them a call or text later?

In the following story, one young woman finds herself in this dilemma and is unsure if she did the wrong thing. Here’s what happened.

AITA for not leaving the room to greet guests?

I recently signed up to learn a third language course online via Zoom. I was having my first lesson today when someone I knew suddenly showed up.

At the time, I wasn’t made aware by my family that they had actually visited to gift me specifically, with clothes and snacks that they bought while they were overseas (I thought they just visited for fun, as they are a family friend).

Though I was initially uninterested in the course and only signed up due to my parents’ urging me to, I actually found myself really engrossed in it. Hence, when my parents came to the room multiple times to ask me to come say hi, I just brushed them off and said that I’d be there once my meeting ended.

She was just going to call them.

This is where im not sure if I did the right thing.

Just as they were about to leave, my meeting ended, but I was deciding whether I should thank them for coming.

For context, they come from a very traditional background and expect women to be dressed properly (covering everything) and to be neat. At the moment, I was wearing really short shorts and had my hair (unwashed) in a messy manner.

I was planning to just give them a call/text to thank them for coming, as I was worried about how their impression of my family and me would be affected if I showed up in front of them like that.

Her parents and siblings were angry.

I wouldn’t have been able to change clothes to see them as they would be able to see me the moment I step out of the room.

After they left, I got a really harsh scolding from my parents and siblings that I shouldn’t have done what I did, and that anyone in the guest’s shoes would’ve felt disrespected that the person they came to visit didn’t even bother saying hi.

Due to their anger, they didn’t allow me to explain my side of the story to them properly, and just shook it off that im being ungrateful and disrespectful to my family and elders.

Now, she’s stressed about how the whole thing looked.

Thinking back, I’m really worried that I might’ve sent the wrong impression and seemed like I didn’t appreciate their presence.

I have already texted them apologising for not coming to say hi, but I still feel really guilty for not realising in that situation what I should’ve done.

I’m also really hurt that my family only thinks that I’m an ungrateful child and refuses to hear me out.

AITA?

Yikes! It sounds like she definitely went against tradition here.

Let’s see what the people over at Reddit have to say.

This person respects her maturity.

Here’s something she can do.

For this person, her family was wrong.

Yet another reader who blames her family.

Those weren’t her plans.

It sounds like her family knew this was going to happen, so they should’ve warned her.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.