B.N. “ELLE” : “Happy Life”

B.N. “ELLE” is our women oriented column. Destined to target every woman’s concern, appeal, problem and trend. We will point out every flaw and give out hints and tips on all different matters that concerns ELLE

Happy Life

Today, my grandma became Eva’s great grandma and it gives me the chills every time I think about our family’s newcomer. My cousin who I thought was gay until he introduced us to a gorgeous woman, who became his wife, is now a Dad to a half Chinese half Lebanese baby girl. And just like weddings make you feel romantic enough to shed a little bit of tears, this newborn made me cheesy enough to dedicate this article to her…

Looking at the kids today, I can’t help but notice that technology stole their childhood from them. They are glued to the lit colorful screens of their phones and tablets. They can actually use them & play with apps before they even learn how to read or write.   Five year olds are rarely outside getting dirty and trying out “7ommayda”.  They are not really experiencing hands-on childhood, when you brush a doll’s hair, playing in the sun with little kids your age & the beauty of knee scars from when the neighbor’s kid pushed you & you cried. Eva, don’t get hooked up on the virtual world. Be a 5 year old child.

When you reach that awful, awful age of puberty, accept being different. Don’t get hung up on stereotypes, don’t try to belong to the popular girls’ clan in your school & don’t even try to belong to the outcast groups. Be who you want to be, belong to yourself and your own world. Wear whatever you like, listen to whatever music you want, do what you want to do. Don’t cave in when your parents make you take piano lessons. If you want to drum it away, please do so but do something you love. It’s okay to lose some, it’s okay to rebel against your parents, and it’s okay if you’re not a little princess.

Everything will change when you’re 18. You will get to drink & drive but hopefully not consecutively on the same night. You will make big decisions that you will get to regret when you’re in your twenties working at your first job. You will have a lot of things to learn and un-learn; things people told you about adulthood that are complete bullshit, what you know about friendship, and your sexuality. Crushes won’t be as fun and romantic as they were when you were a teenager. You start experiencing real heartbreaks and real orgasms. And the best advice I can give you for when you’re 18, learn how to change your own tires, learn how to cook for yourself. Be a man-like-woman who is fully independent of other women and men to function on her regular day.

Some days, little things your mom does will drive you crazy. Like her insisting you wear one skirt instead of the other, will make you say hurtful things that you will regret when you grow older. Her constant calls to talk about absolutely nothing when you’re slaving at your day job will irritate you. At some point in your life, you will stop hugging her and you won’t feel the need to. You will stop running to her when you’re crying and instead you will hide your tears from her to avoid endless questions that you wouldn’t want to answer because let’s face it, you wouldn’t dare telling your mom that you’re starting to get feelings for your friend-with-benefits. Love her nevertheless. She will become the best friend you’ll ever have. She will always be honest with you. By the time you’re twenty- something, you’ll know she was right when she warned you about that girl who you insisted to befriend, and who turned out to be the worse of them all.

Finally, when it’s time for you to get married, get married for love & nothing but. Don’t marry the safety that one guy can provide. Don’t marry him because he loves you more than you love him.  Marry him because you Love him equally.  And if you don’t find that person, or if you loved someone who is not the marriage type of guy, remember that you don’t need him, that’s why you learnt how to change your own tire. It’s better to love intensely at different intervals in time than live a life without love.  You don’t have to get married at all if you don’t want to. You don’t have to have children. What’s beautiful about life is that it is yours only and you get to take advantage of it every day.

ELLE