Columnist finds lessons on adulthood in her daughter's cheap shoe rack

Adulthood rarely arrives with fanfare, but instead takes shape in grocery lists, bills and household purchases, columnist Ruth Morales argues in her latest "Family Matters" piece for Mindanao Times, co-written with her daughter, Zoe Christy Morales.

The column centres on the daughter's reflection on living abroad in her first apartment of her own. She describes a flimsy, inexpensive wooden shoe rack, with four thin shelves and eight knobs for hanging bags, a hat and a belt, as her most prized possession and a daily reminder to be grateful.

According to the reflection, moving overseas meant suddenly being responsible for things she had always assumed would simply be there: where to store shoes, which eggs to buy, whether a refrigerator was necessary, and why spices cost so much. Over time, she writes, the apartment changed from a place she was staying in to a place she lived in, filled with mismatched plates, a knife and a peeler, shelves and an air freshener.

She now cooks her own meals, cleans her own space and notices when groceries are running low without asking anyone. "I suppose that's how growing up happened for me, not all at once, just in little things," she writes.

Morales argues that her daughter's experience shows adulthood is built through small acts of responsibility repeated daily, and that ordinary objects can carry a deeper story of courage, adaptability and growing confidence in an unfamiliar place.

The columnist closes on a faith note, citing Zechariah 4:10 on not despising small beginnings, and argues that grace is often found in humble, everyday steps rather than extraordinary achievements.

Morales is a full-time instructor at a state university in Mindanao specialising in foreign language education, and is pursuing doctoral studies in applied linguistics. With her family, she previously served as an ESL teacher and cross-cultural worker in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Africa, according to her column bio.