27-year-old misses her 48-year-old dad's 4-year-old son's birthday party, fears she's not putting enough effort into their brother-sister relationship

Was she wrong for skipping his party?

There are some birthday parties that are criminal to skip. Imagine skipping your eldest niece's Bat Mitzvah because you're "too tired to go." Or blowing off your college besties' 21st birthday celebration to go to a random frat party? If you are MIA during your boyfriend or girlfriend's birthday, you are a bad dude!

Nobody can attend every birthday party they are invited to. You can probably get away with rejecting the invite to your college friend's boyfriend's birthday party or your acquaintance's mom's birthday party, especially if you have something else to do on those nights. But if you're the adult family member of a child, it's kind of borderline whether you should feel pressured to be in attendance at their birthday party. If it's a family party, it would be wrong for their aunt and uncle to skip for no real reason. But a child's birthday party at a bowling alley or a play-place isn't the best place for a grandma to bond with her grandchildren. It's probably better for her sake that she celebrate her grandkid's birthday on a separate occasion, away from all the screaming children.

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_{A little boy is excited to blow out the candles at his 4th birthday party, despite the fact that his older sister is not here to celebrate with him.}
_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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The older sister was supposed to go to her younger brother's arcade birthday party, but she skipped at the last minute. While she planned to celebrate his birthday with in on the actual date, she questioned whether it was wrong of her to skip the party after initially RSVPing.
Am I the bad guy because I missed my 4-year-old brother's birthday party

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_{A little boy shoots hoops at his friend's arcade birthday party.}
_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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_{A tired woman relaxes at home after finishing her exams.}
_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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