I honestly don't want to make this a bigger issue than it already is. But because I've tolerated their behavior and attitude for years, they've come to believe it's acceptable and normal. Whenever I react to something that goes against what is right or truthful, they make it seem as though I'm the one disrespecting them. In front of other people, they portray themselves as the victims. But behind closed doors, they display manipulative, gaslighting, and performative behavior that no one else gets to see. For years, I tried so hard to make our family appear picture-perfect. Instead, I often ended up feeling embarrassed because I couldn't pretend everything was fine. People see me as someone who is respectful and fair, but my parents often behave in ways that don't match the environment we're in. They refuse to adapt to more formal or respectful settings and even mock people they perceive as "high class." As a result, some people assume I'm only pretending to be different, when in reality, I've simply chosen values and behavior that my parents refuse to embrace. Even my graduation became about them. Because they were impatient with the long wait and the crowd, they didn't want to attend. My mother wanted my father to go instead, especially since he had already made arrangements with his workplace to return to the Philippines specifically for my graduation. What should have been one of the happiest days of my life became another source of stress and conflict. The hardest part is that none of this surprised me. I had already anticipated something like this happening a year before my graduation. I kept hoping I would be wrong, but deep down I knew this was a possibility. I just didn't know how to prevent it or what I was supposed to do.