reason VS excuse??

dorothy

What’s the difference between a reason and an excuse?

Asking bc I think my boyfriend gives excuses not to see me. He calls them “reasons” though.

For instance the most recent incident of this... my nephew was just born. I asked my boyfriend if he wants to come visit him and my sis at the hospital after I got off work bc I knew my bf has the whole day off. He tells me he can’t bc he “has to get his oil changed this morning” and bc he “has to take his cousin to work at 4”

To me that’s an excuse bc I won’t even be able to go until 5:00 PM anyway.. so why is he saying he can’t go bc of some errands he has to run long before 5? Like that doesn’t make sense to me.

Now I could be wrong. What do y’all think. Reason or excuse?