We can all agree that growing up with Filipino parents isn’t easy. Of course they’ll always hold a special place in our hearts with the sweet things they do for us. Sometimes though, they just do crazy things that drive us up the wall!

Here are some signs that you lived in a house with Filipino parents. Warning though: some of the things here may be too real.

1. You were scolded because of perfectly good grades.

Filipino parents are just obsessed with grades! Like their Asian counterparts, a passing grade isn’t enough. And they won’t pretend to hide their disappointment if you don’t get an A+.

Sometimes we wonder if they’re pushing us to study harder just so they could share our achievements in their news feeds! But thankfully, their obsession with our grades seems to go away once we’ve entered college.

2. You eat indoors because “there’s food at home”.

You know the famous saying: Filipino parents will tell you they know a place, and then take you to the house to eat. When we were younger, it was annoying to hear that you were just going to eat at home especially when you wanted to dine out in a nice place.

Now that we’re older though, it’s just funny; we are thankful that we even have food in the first place. We now realize that eating at home is just more practical especially now that we’re more financially-conscious. So parents, you win this round.

3. You were told not to talk back.

Dear parents reading this: what do you want us to do when you’re being so aggressive towards us? Do you expect us to just sit down and take your harsh words? As the wise PBB winner, Beatriz Saw, once said “ang respeto, hindi yan iniimpose Maricris, ine-earn yan!“

When we keep quiet, you want us to reply. But when we give you an explanation, you don’t want to hear it.

We know that when you tell us something along the lines of “aba, sumasagot ka na ngayon“, it just means that we made a fair point that you don’t want to listen to for the sake of your pride. And honestly, that makes us even angrier at you.

Your desire to win the argument will not get us anywhere.

It also sets a precedent that we should never talk back to authority even if it’s clear that they’re the one in the wrong.

4. You hid your significant other from them for too long.

When we hear our friend say that they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s not uncommon to ask if their relationship is “legal”. This means that the parents of the couple know that they’re dating.

Whether jokingly or not, our protective Filipino parents have always been pretty vocal about not wanting us to engage in any relationship with anyone.

Growing up with Filipino parents means carrying a lifelong fear of being reprimanded for falling in love. We’re so scared of them that we’ll get engaged one day and not tell them until the actual wedding!

5. Your first drink was with them.

Filipino parents can be fun and they’ll let you experience your first taste of alcohol… as long as you’re with them. Going out with relatives probably means there’ll be some booze around.

And when your parents feel that you’re of age, they may be in a good enough mood to let you drink with them!

Our take: it’s the right thing to do because everyone eventually tries out alcohol anyways. So why not avoid all the inevitable sneaking and lying by letting us try it out when they’re around?

6. You got weekly sermons for going home late.

For the college kids out there, we know how you feel. Friday nights just aren’t the same without your mother nagging at you the moment your half-sober ass shows up at the door.

Most of the time, nothing really comes of it. We end up being stuck in a loop of going home late and pissing our parents off (we’re sorry!). We do admit that we still get war flashbacks from our mother asking us where we are while we’re still out.

7. You aren’t able to follow a diet.

Growing up with Filipino parents means growing up in a house where empty stomachs is a no-no! They will do everything to feed us until our stomachs become so bloated, they show through our shirt. Which is weird because they’re also the first to criticize us when we gain even the slightest weight.

This spells bad news for someone attempting to lose some pounds or try out a new diet. The more you resist, the more they’ll insist on serving you a tempting cup of rice. If you’re that stubborn, they’ll place food in your plate themselves!

8. You have titas who know everything about you.

Man, do Filipino parents love gossip! Family gatherings wouldn’t be complete without a tita you barely know asking a question that’s just too personal. You don’t even have to ask where they got their tea about you, because it’s always from your mom and dad.

However, we do appreciate all their supportive comments in our Facebook posts even if they may bring up details that do not need to be seen by our friends.

9. You had to dispel fake news in Viber.

Despite insisting that they are smarter than us because of their age, Filipino parents are more susceptible to being victims of fake news. It’s become a common occurrence for them to forward a chain message in the family Viber chat that has no inkling of truth to it.

These messages can range from political propaganda to ridiculous headlines meant to spread unfounded panic. And unfortunately, we have the responsibility of calling them out.

10. You had to take up pre-med, law, or engineering.

Our dreams can wait. It’s a universal truth that parents force their children to take up courses that will lead them to financial success. But for Filipinos, it’s often courses related to medicine, law, and engineering fields since the people who work there are highly regarded in society.

This is an unfortunately reality for many of us who want to pursue a career that we are passionate about. Such is life in a capitalist world.

11. You had thought about them in your future.

No matter how much they drive us insane, we can’t let them go. And that means always thinking about where they fit in our plans for the future. Living in such a family-centric culture means that our parents will always be in the picture whether we like it or not.

They may have caused some emotional scars and a tainted relationship with you. You’ve probably reached a breaking point where you thought how amazing it would be to move out. When you’ve stayed under their roof for so long, it can be mentally draining to have them control your life and not treat you like an adult.

But for some of us, it’s difficult to hate them for too long. They always worm their way back into our hearts.

It’s definitely an adventure growing up with Filipino parents. They have some quirks and ways of doing things that we may never understand until we hit their age. On some days, you love them. On some days, you hate them.

But one thing’s for sure: you’re in for a ride.

Loved this article? Read more articles about the Filipino zoomer experience here. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Featured Image: Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels

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Zoom in the Philippines is just a whole ‘nother ballgame. Having group calls and e-numans through the video-conferencing app has been a staple in our lives under quarantine.

In fact, we’ve used it so much the past months that we could lump all your friends and colleagues into one of these ten stereotypes, depending on how you act in a Zoom room. The question is: which one are you?

1. The Local Channel Watcher

There’s always that friend who’s on the call with their TV turned on in the background. And for some reason, it’s always tuned in at a time when news are on.

Then there are also times when you’d hear something religious blaring from the TV, like a priest celebrating Mass or reciting a prayer. Definitely not a good time to be talking about sex in your call.

2. The Virtual Background Enthusiast

This person likes to change their Zoom backgrounds to get some laughs in the meeting room. Or maybe it’s just a manifestation of their inner fear of being stuck indoors forever. Probably that.

The Virtual Background Enthusiast is also the person in the call who’s obsessed with dank memes. It’s just the law of nature.

3. The Tita Photobomber Victim

When taking your calls in a shared space, it’s inevitable that somebody pops up in your background… like your mom. However, the Tita Photobomber Victim’s mother just doesn’t care if the others see her in her pambahay clothes, gingerly doing house chores in her leisure time.

Tita will even initiate conversations with her “victim” while the call is ongoing. She just doesn’t give a damn!

One thing’s for sure though: Zoom in the Philippines is definitely more entertaining with her around.

4. The Epitome of “Go Girl, Give Us Nothing”

They’re the person who barely gets a word in throughout the entire meeting. Maybe they’re not fond of online interaction, maybe they’re tired, or maybe they’re just really shy.

But hey, if you look at them once in a while, you’ll see them laughing along with everyone else. It’s a sign that their soul hasn’t been thoroughly sucked out yet!

5. The Chaotic Host

Joseph Stalin, who? Great dictators from history got nothing on this one. Be careful which person you give hosting powers to, because if they end up in the wrong hands, it will be pure chaos!

Nicknames will be changed, participants will be muted, and yes, people will get kicked out.

6. The Electric Fan King/Queen

Ah yes, probably everyone’s favorite person in the Zoom room. The extreme heat means everyone has to turn on their electric fan to get some of that cold air. But no one, and we mean no one, wants to hear that buzzing sound in their ears.

Raise your hand if you’re the bitch who calls out someone when their electric fan is being too loud in a call. I just did.

7. The Pet Show-off

There will come a time when somebody’s dog or cat “accidentally” enters the frame. And I placed that in quotation marks because they’re not fooling anyone, we know this person just wants to show everybody how cute their pet is!

So this is what always happens in this situation: the whole conversation stops as the person expresses (fake) surprise that their pet is suddenly on their lap, everyone stops for fifteen seconds to go gaga over it, some small talk ensues about something “crazy” that the pet did recently, and then everybody carries on with the previous conversation.

8. The Camera-Conscious

This person just isn’t used to being on-cam like us famous stars; they can’t go a minute without touching their hair and face!

Practicing their angles and poses for the gram is how they pass time when they’re on mute. Somebody has to tell them that this is definitely “America’s Next Best Friend”, and not America’s Next Top Model.

9. The Choppy Magician

You know what makes Zoom in the Philippines so different? Our extremely slow internet! I can count in one hand the number of times I’ve been in a call where nobody got disconnected because of extremely abysmal internet.

This person could be saying the most melancholic heartfelt words on earth then suddenly get cut off mid-sentence. Or worse, disappear.

And then reappear… just to disappear again.

They probably hear “ano raw?” and “choppy ka” a lot in these calls. Those words are music to their ears. And when they see that their internet connection is unstable, they’re secretly praying that their video didn’t freeze at a time that made them look like a dumbass.

10. The Skincare Routine Girl

Never watched a beauty vlog in your entire life? Well don’t worry, because this person has you covered.

They’ll do their entire ten-step skincare routine on camera for everyone to watch, not realizing that the oils and product that they put on their face makes them look ridiculous. Or they do, but they just don’t care.

Isn’t Zoom in the Philippines just so colorful? Kidding aside, having an avenue to connect with each other during this pandemic really helps with our sanity. And having all these personalities come together in one virtual room helps the party get started!

So no matter what you’re like in Zoom, we’re happy that you exist. Even you Electric Fan Kings!

Who did we miss out on our list? Leave a comment below!

Having e-numans and Zoom calls are just a few items on our quarantine bucket list that we’ve crossed off. How about you? Take this fun quiz to find out! Don’t forget to follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Twitter for more entertaining content.

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