Athrun Zala Soldier of ZAFT

I grew up in a house of seven people where the only woman is my mother. People would imagine that my Mama would have been this poor girl doing all the chores that boys don't usually do.... Contrary to common notion about this patriarchal Philippine society, things in our house are different. My mother is usually the head of the household and she literally calls the shots. No pun intended on my father because I believe that they both love each other so much.

My mother made sure that all of us, well at least most of my brothers, know the ropes of doing household chores. At an early age we were all taught how to cook rice, clean the house, cook our own food and even some laundry, although she would not entrust that to us because her standards are so high when it comes to it. I was usually in-charge of our household when I still lived with my parents.

Things did not really change when I left home for college and eventually settled in my own home. My wife knows little in the kitchen and honestly, I could not fully entrust my tummy to her cooking. Haha... Aside from cooking, I also do the laundry from time to time since my wife could not really do so much load because of her pregnancy.

I have no problem doing those things. As a matter of fact, I enjoy doing things at home as it somewhat takes away the stress and keeps me focused on things. It is very much like exercise for me. I thank my mother for letting us do those things when we were young. We could have easily excused ourselves from learning since we always have hired helpers around the house but she insisted that we learn.

Today I can proudly say that armed with these skills, I can live even in the most desolate place on the planet. And yes, I will teach this to my kids as well. I still have laundry to go back to, by the way....