Ugly and Beautiful

So here I was trying to understand from my child what Ugly and beautiful is. It all happened when we were reading this fairly famous story called The Ugly duckling. Honestly, that story should be banned and parents and teachers should remove it from their reading lists. 

So coming to our discussion. It was way past our bedtime, for it was our story marathon day.  I read the title of the book aloud, "The Ugly Duckling". My curious George "Sehar" asked me what "Ugly" was. Her riveting big eyes looking straight into mine. For the lack of a befitting response, a response that reflected my understanding, I answered, something that's not beautiful. Sehar was at her simplest self, her eyes unblinking and her mind racing - " Like sometimes you are not beautiful when you are angry and your face is like this". She seemed to mirror what perhaps must be my concocted face when I am mad at her. It indeed was ugly, for the emotion must have found a way out of my heart into my face. And that's when I understood, beauty as the society understands today is a part of a big social construct. People are not beautiful or ugly; emotions and intentions are. 

And what better way to understand it but from your own child.  To any child her mom is the most beautiful thing in the world. For mothers in their whole being carry an emotion called Love and its the emotion that your child feels and nothing beyond. Children have an amazing tendency to step into the unknown realm of your subconscious, for their whole being is not charred by experience. What matters to them is the heart and the heart is where they belong. 

So that beautiful night when Sehar told me, Mom you are very beautiful but sometimes you get ugly when you are angry, the point came home. I hope it stays like this for her, forever.