I’m just 20 years old. A third-year college student. And somehow, I’ve ended up carrying the weight of an entire household on my shoulders. My mom works as a seamstress when there’s work available, but it’s not reliable. I, on the other hand, juggle part-time and freelance gigs, scraping together 350 pesos a day. It’s barely enough to survive, let alone feed a whole family, but I try.

What crushes me the most is my father. He stays home all day, contributing nothing. No job. No chores. Nothing. Worse, he actually has the gall to command me to do the housework after I’ve already spent my day studying and working. He’s completely capable of working physically and mentally but rejects every opportunity that comes his way. He chooses idleness while I drown in exhaustion.

I am so unbelievably tired. Drained. Burnt out. I never imagined I’d feel this defeated at twenty. And yet, the man who should be supporting us has the audacity to complain about the food I bring home or the money I earn, like it isn’t enough. Like I’m not already breaking myself just to keep us afloat.

And what hurts even more is being constantly compared to my cousins, who have fathers that actually step up. Fathers who protect, provide, and parent. While I’m here, playing breadwinner, housekeeper, and student all at once. I feel so bitter. So angry. And then the guilt sets in because he’s my dad and I shouldn’t feel this way, right?

But I do. I resent him. I resent this whole situation.

I feel completely helpless, like there’s nothing I can do to fix this. I don’t know what to do anymore. AITA for feeling crushed, angry, and resentful that I’m forced to act like the adult in this house while my own father lives like a king doing nothing?

What should I do? How do I handle this situation without losing my mind?