Although she may be the current source of some Gilmore Girls related heartbreak, I'll always be a Melissa McCarthy fan. Especially since McCarthy recently explained her absence from the Stars Hollow spin-off with a perfectly good (albeit disappointing) reason: She wasn't asked to participate because producers thought she would be too busy. By the time she actually found out about it, her schedule was packed. Regardless, she wins points for honesty and for this next piece of news. At a press conference for her new movie The Boss, McCarthy shared the most valuable lesson she's teaching her daughters and it's such a good one. She said,
A biggie for me is take the compliment. I’m hard on people for that. When you say like, "Oh, you look great," so many women for the next 20 minutes are like, "I got it on sale. It’s actually terrible — if I turn around you’d hate it. I’ve got one shorter leg…" So as a rule, I’m always like, "You just basically shoved the compliment back in my face."
She told the audience that she just wants her two daughters Vivian and Georgette (ages 8 and 6, respectively) to "just say thank you and walk off." McCarthy adds,
It’s a little building block, but I hope it’s one of many ways that I show my girls that it’s OK to like who you are. It’s okay that everybody’s different. I always say to my girls, "If we were all the same, we would all be robots. You would be bored out of your mind."
Such an important message of self-acceptance and self-love, and it's so great to hear that she's instilling it in her daughters at such a young age. She added that she and her husband Ben Falcone focus on individuality with their girls, explaining, "You try to let them be exactly who they are and you try to show good examples."
I'm sure that Gilmore Girls fans pick up on the coincidence that her character Sookie also had two kids, Davey and Martha. (Although the series ended with another baby on the way!) I would like to think that the Dragonfly Inn's head chef would have passed on equally valuable lessons to those children like McCarthy is in real life.
Either way, she sounds like a standout mom. She's practically on Lorelai Gilmore's level when it comes to giving awesome advice. Her words about struggling to accept compliments doesn't only apply to her young daughters, but it's a relatable lesson for women of any age. I know it's something I've done myself, as well as a reaction I've received from friends when complimenting them.
So next time someone says, "Nice shoes!" or "Your hair looks great today," follow the McCarthy method and try to fight your inner critic. Avoid thinking this:
Instead, embrace their kind words — whether they're about your brand-new dress or the amazing cookies you baked. Say thank you, and bask in the moment! Sort of like this:
As McCarthy emphasizes, you deserve to accept the compliment.
Images: Giphy (2)
