It is a natural desire of every parent to share with the child his life experience and wish him a better life. The main thing is to find the right words that will be able to break through the wall of youthful maximalism.
– Dinner is on the table! Dad is late, he was summoned for a consultation with a seriously ill patient, asked to sit at the table without him, – Dasha shouted from the kitchen, addressing her daughter. – Especially for those on a diet, I voice the menu: vegetable salad, steamed fish and dried fruit dessert.
The answer was silence: probably Eve was again sitting in front of the computer with headphones. Dasha knocked and, without waiting for an answer, slightly opened the door: “May I?”
Eve, to her surprise, was sitting without headphones, staring not at the monitor, but at the table mirror. She did not react to the appearance of her mother, continuing to carefully study her reflection.
“Well, are you the nicest in the world? – Dasha quoted the famous poet with a smile, sitting down on the sofa opposite her daughter.
– No, not me! She said nervously. – In my opinion, this is obvious even to you, although it is common for every mother to see only the best in her child. You will not assure me that there is no one in the world more beautiful than me?
– I won’t, – Dasha assured. – In my opinion, you have a fairly standard, although very attractive appearance.
– That’s right – standard! Eve grimaced. – And standard means banal, primitive. Everything is ordinary to nausea – nose, mouth, cheeks, lips! With such an appearance, it is difficult to count on something in life.
– Yes? – Dasha was sincerely surprised. – And what exactly does not shine for you because of your cheeks and lips?
– At least a chance that someone who I like will pay attention to me. – Eve could hardly hold back tears.
– Well, everything is clear! – Dasha chuckled. – My girl fell in love.
– Well, mom! Eve jerked her shoulder nervously. – Where did you get it?
– From the fact that I have been living for a long time, – answered Dasha. – And age usually comes not alone, but with experience. Therefore, all your doubts and complexes are understandable to me – I myself experienced something similar. And just like you now, I found a bunch of flaws in myself and considered myself a gray mouse.
“Well, in the end you got lucky even with your standard appearance — you met your dad,” Eve sighed. – Do not be offended, but he looks more attractive than you, although you also seem to be nothing. My friends all ears buzzed, what my dad is a handsome man. And one girl, whom he removed the appendix, said that all the doctors, nurses and even the nurses of the surgical department, not to mention the patients, were in love with him. And some of them are very effective. Tell me honestly, are you not jealous?
– Honestly? No longer, – Dasha smiled.
– What do you mean – already? – Eve warned. – So he gave you a reason? Serious? When?
– For a long time. – Dasha, to the surprise of Eve, continued to smile.
“Obviously, it’s not a drama for you if you talk about it so blissfully,” Eve snorted. – However, why be surprised: you have not nerves, but ropes. To remain calm when a handsome husband disappears day and night in his department, either a complete phlegmatic woman or a beauty like Charlize Theron can. You cannot be called an outstanding beauty, it turns out that your confidence is based solely on strong nerves.
– And I love you! – Dasha retorted. – I probably have a really stable nervous system, because you are now saying pretty offensive things. But do you know why I am not offended at the same time? Because I was in your role, and you were not in mine, therefore you cannot judge the reasons for my calmness. But to clarify the situation, I’ll tell you, perhaps, one story.
Once upon a time there was a girl, let’s call her Masha. An ordinary girl who differed from her peers only in that everything was interesting and curious to her. New books, new films, new sports, new places – she wanted to embrace everything and be in time everywhere. And if outwardly she did not stand out among her peers (as you say, standard eyes, nose, cheeks), then her outlook was much wider than that of most of her friends. She was never bored, and life seemed like one big wonderful adventure. She studied well, so she easily entered the journalism faculty. It was the profession of a journalist, she believed, that would allow her to see the world and communicate with unique people. Every day of study only convinced her of the correctness of the choice made.
This continued until Masha fell in love. After the first year at the summer camp, she met a company of medical students – and realized that she could not imagine her life without the future surgeon Yura. It was impossible not to fall in love with him: he was both handsome and witty, and in general he was just the very best. Not only Masha thought so – Yura had no shortage of admirers. Masha had never bothered with her appearance before, but then she suddenly began to scrupulously study herself – and came to the disappointing conclusion that she had no chance of Yura’s attention. Especially against the background of the first beauty of the shift, let’s call her Lena. Who is really lucky with both the face and the figure!
It was impossible not to notice such beauty.
Masha caught herself thinking that she was jealously following every look that Yura throws at Lena. She held herself with the confidence of a megastar, which made her look even more inaccessible and attractive.
And one day Masha, who was simply dying of love, decided to have a serious conversation with Lena, since they had a good and trusting relationship. “Listen,” she said, wildly shy. – Do you like Yura? ” “Of course I like it,” Lena did not hide. “He’s just handsome, there’s no better place for him.” “Do you have any plans for him?” – freezing, asked Masha. “Well, if there is, why are you interested in this?” Lena shrugged. “Because I like him,” Masha said innocently. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t like him, does it?” Lena asked. “Truth. – Masha was ready to sink into the ground out of shame. “But I was thinking: you have a boyfriend in town. Therefore, can I ask you not to make eyes at Yura? Well, or at least did not respond to his advances, if he suddenly shows interest in you? Because for you it’s all just an affair, but for me it’s very serious. ”
Lena silently looked at Masha as if she had seen her for the first time in her life. And when she spoke, Masha realized that this was the worst day of her life. “To say that I am surprised to hear this from you is to say nothing,” Lena was clearly choosing her words more politely. – When we just arrived at the camp, I realized that from the whole group only you can compete with me. Not because it is more beautiful than me, but because it is more interesting. You know so much – and at the same time you are so funny, open, natural. I watched with envy how girls and guys are drawn to you, everyone wants to communicate with you. Sometimes I even had something like jealousy: it seems like an ordinary girl in appearance, but she draws all the attention to herself. It was by looking at you that I realized for the first time that beauty is an important, but not the main means of achieving my goals. You just have to be open, positive and always be yourself. Who do I see now? An unhappy person who, poorly hiding her complexes, is trying to convince her rival to comply with some moral rules. Well, let’s say Yura draws attention to me – why should I play on your side? Yes, I like him too. And I have every right to respond to his advances, I have no obligations to anyone. In general, Masha, how much you fascinated me from the first meeting, you disappointed me so much now. You are no rival to me, your chances against mine are zero! ” Lena left, and Masha remained to digest what she had heard.
The dialogue with the first beauty was like a cold shower for her. For a couple of days she came to her senses, comprehending every word, and then came to Lena and thanked for her frankness. She only grinned in response – Masha as a person was no longer interested in her. But that happened definitely benefited. Remaining yourself – what could be more important? And is there a need for a victory that requires humiliation and exposes complexes? Having digested all this, Masha literally exhaled and let go of the situation. She still liked Yura, but she was no longer ready to fight for his attention. Not a single important gain is worth losing herself as a person, she decided – and again felt the same lightness and began to receive joy from everything that was happening, not looking back at the subject of her interest and not fixing his views on other girls.
Remaining yourself – what could be more important? And is there a need for a victory that requires humiliation and exposes complexes?
She did not immediately notice that Yura was somehow more and more often found next to her. And by the end of the shift, they almost never parted and returned to the city happy and in love. A couple of years later they got married, and a year later they had a daughter. Each of them took place in life, and they are still in love with each other. She knows that he has many fans, but she is absolutely not jealous. For a decade and a half, lived together, Masha understood: it is important that her husband looks at you, but even more important – he looks in the same direction with you. They have a lot in common: family, daughter, hobbies, but most importantly – a common outlook on life and a huge interest in each other. It doesn’t matter at all what kind of eyes, nose and cheeks one has.
Dasha fell silent. Eve looked at her with amazement eyes.
– Was this story really? And, if I understood correctly, Masha is you, and Yura is dad?
– You understood everything correctly. – Dasha gently patted her daughter on the head. – To be beautiful is a natural desire of every girl and woman. I really care how I look. But I will never make this point defining, even with such a handsome husband as your father. I definitely will not become such a breathtaking beauty as Charlize Theron (by the way, as far as I know, she is not very lucky in her personal life), and around my man there will always be women more spectacular than me. But he had already made his choice once. He is not interested in the nose and cheeks, believe me, but the comfort and joy of communication. Relationship chemistry cannot be measured by the length of the legs or hair. And my confidence in my husband is not based on nerves, ropes, but on not having to role-play. My advice to you is to watch yourself, but stop analyzing your appearance, it’s pointless. You can have a perfect face and a flawless figure – and not be happy. Just be yourself and enjoy life. And then love will find you on its own. In the meantime, let’s go to dinner: don’t eat dried fruit dessert for the night!
– Come on a little later, okay? – Least of all Eve was now interested in the issue of food. She wanted to be alone in order to comprehend everything she had heard. And at the same time, do not rest your gaze on a large table mirror.