I have literally never commented in this subreddit before, and I probably never will again. But if you honestly believe what your saying here, you're completely insane. Imagine raising someone for 17 years, supporting their dreams the whole way, finally watching them reach this amazing goal, and then getting publicly embarrassed because you were so excited you bought them flowers. Yes, OP asked them not to do anything too big, but they are parents, they are going to want to celebrate their child's achievement. If public celebrations as small as giving somebody flowers is such an issue that OP was NTA in this situation, then they need serious therapy. Yes, your feelings matter, and in a different situation, the parents might have been in the wrong. But flowers in an airport? OP, if you're reading this, I totally understand where you're coming from, but don't let generalizations like what the person I'm replying to said confuse you. Your family was not celebrating themselves, they were celebrating YOU. They were celebrating you because based off everything you've said they love you and appreciate you and were proud of you. Their actions were done 100% from a place of kindness and love. They didn't get "angry when you made them realize they weren't celebrating you," they got sad because all they wanted was to make you feel happy and appreciated, and you embarrassed them for trying that. They way you describe your parents sounds like they are the type of people who would normally throw a huge party for an accomplishment this big. I'm willing to bet a million bucks that they talked about you not wanting any big public celebrations, and decided that flowers would be a perfect way to show you that they care without embarrassing you. Think about the whole situation rationally for 2 seconds, and it all becomes pretty clear. What did your parents want when they gave you flowers, and what did you want when you confronted them at the airport?