A man is seeking support from the Reddit community after his father missed his college graduation to attend his stepbrother’s soccer game. The 22-year-old grad writes that this milestone was especially significant: “It was a huge deal to me, not only because I worked really hard, but because I'm the first in my family to get a degree.” He describes a family dynamic that shifted when he turned 13 and his father remarried, leaving him feeling sidelined in favor of his stepbrother, a talented 17-year-old soccer player. “I've often felt like I've taken a back seat,” he writes in his post, emphasizing that while he doesn’t resent his stepbrother, he’s always felt like the “serious, responsible one while my stepbrother got more attention for his sports.” The poster explains that his graduation date was set months ahead, and his father had promised to be there. But just days before the ceremony, his father revealed that a playoff game for his stepbrother had been rescheduled for the same day. “He said he would figure out a way to make both,” the poster recalls, clinging to hope that his father would find a way to attend his once-in-a-lifetime event. On the morning of graduation, that hope was dashed by a text message: “Sorry bud, I have to go to the game, its important for his college prospects. We'll celebrate after.” The poster describes how devastated he felt, feeling the support his cheering mother and grandparents but unable to ignore “the empty seat where my dad should have been.” That evening, his father called to offer congratulations, but the conversation quickly turned tense. The poster told his father how hurt he was, only to be met with defensiveness. "[He was] saying I was being unfair, that I know he supports me but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for my step bro. He told me I'm being selfish and immature for making it all about myself.” Since that day, communication between father and son has been sparse. The father has sent a few texts, insisting that his son is “punishing him over something that wasn't personal and that he loves me.” The stepbrother also reached out, apologizing but urging the poster to “let it go because I'm being too harsh on dad and it's affecting everyone else," the poster writes. The graduate is left questioning his own feelings, torn between doubt and years of feeling overlooked. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Reddit users have quickly taken his side, with one saying, “It was a massive accomplishment, far more important than a sports game where he wasn’t needed for scouts to watch the actual player (stepbrother). That he missed something so once in a lifetime for his child for a game is tragic and sad. You owe him nothing, especially not your time. Congratulations on your accomplishments. They are well deserved.” The original poster responds with gratitude and a final reflection on the imbalance in his family: “Exactly, I only graduate once. Whereas when it comes to the step brother, my dad goes to every single game of his.”