Events in the Life of Janet O'Connolly - Eavesdropping

Oh, Dylis, I'm so glad you're home!  Yeah, I just need to talk.  Well, it's Janet.  Nothing major, at least not yet, but she's really starting to worry me.  She's getting to be obsessed with her appearance.  She's in her room right now, refusing to come out because of some stupid little zit.  No, you can hardly see it, I mean, yeah, it's there.  But it's not like she's growing another head or something.  She's just being difficult.  Yeah I guess.  I was kinda dreading her teenage years, in fact.  Yeah, even with her being such a tomboy as a child.  And that weird little friend of hers, Firefly Morales?  Wonder whatever happened to her?  Hippy parents pulled her out of school, I remember.  Well yeah, I did try to help Janet accept her femininity a little more, but being concerned with how you look just means being decent, not hiding yourself away whenever you get a little blemish.  Oh no, I don't think she should be using concealer, she has very sensitive skin.  Well, they have all those chemicals...ha, ha, very funny.  Yes, go right ahead, compare me to Mrs. Morales.  Except she didn't take her husbands name I think, at least not that husband.  Who knows?  How many people would want to marry that kook?  Then again, Mr. Morales wasn't any better, so I guess they deserve each other.

But look, what I'm saying is you can't cover everything up completely, you just have to learn to live with some things about yourself.  She probably wants to impress some boy, but if he's put off by some little zit like she has, he just doesn't deserve her.  She should develop her self-esteem a little, that's all.  If it's so important to her to get a boyfriend, she's not doing herself any favors by moping around like she is.  Nobody wants to be around such a sad sack.  Sometimes I just want to scream at her to stop thinking only about herself and cheer up for the rest of us.  Doesn't she see how hard this is for me?  I have to deal with somebody all depressed over nothing day after day.  What do you mean, how do I know it's nothing?  She'd tell me if there was actually something going on, wouldn't she?  She's my daughter, for crissake.  Who can she talk to if not her mother?  Now, if only she had something to say, not just whining and complaining all the time, maybe if she had some interests - what?  Oh Jesus, Dylis, do you think she's getting into that stuff already?  I guess time just flies, but... she could still talk to me about that stuff.  I'm a cool mom, right?  I've always been honest with her about everything.  There isn't any doubt about my opinions on these things.  How can she have valid opinions on any of that, she's just a girl, what does she know?  Shit, what was that?  Jan, are you on the other phone?

*click*