How Beauty makes her marriage work

Beauty Gonzalez (right) with husband Norman and daughter Olivia

“Ask me again after a year or two,” says Beauty Gonzalez as to whether she plans to have another baby now that her daughter Olivia is already 3 years old.

“Of course I’ve been thinking about it, and I want to be honest—for now, the answer is ‘no,’” the 27-year-old actress said during a media gathering to launch her family as endorsers of the skin care brand Moringa O2.

Beauty admits that she thought hard before agreeing to sign up Olivia to be a product endorser, “because we don’t want to pressure her. We don’t want her to feel overwhelmed.”

The first-time,  “very protective” mom explains: “She doesn’t feel comfortable being in front of the camera just yet. I’m not the type who would take lots of photos or videos of her when she was younger, for social media. Now, I do that so she’d get used to it.”

“Olivia likes to watch her mom put on makeup,” her husband Norman observes. “Now, she would pose for photos, too.” However, this doesn’t mean Olivia is ready for show business, he stresses.

“I don’t think she understands everything yet. She gets so affected by what she sees on TV,” says Beauty, adding that Olivia used to cry whenever she would see people trying to hurt her mom on TV. “These days, not so much anymore. She is now realizing that it’s just acting.”

Beauty is one of the leads of the afternoon drama series “Kadenang Ginto” on ABS-CBN.

For Norman, the secret to a happy relationship is that “you just have to listen to [and be aware of] what your partner needs.”

“Obviously, he does the listening,” quips Beauty. “Seriously, marriage is teamwork. It can’t be controlled by just one person. He is trying his best to understand my crazy work schedule. We always find time for each other.”

Courtship does not stop now that they are married. “Ang daming pogi sa show biz,” Norman points out. “I have to make sure that there’s a little bit of drama at home from time to time, or else …”

Asked for her advice on what to do whenever couples have fights, Beauty replies: “Make sure to have some time away from each other first. Don’t fight when you’re both angry; it’s just going to get messier. Take time to breathe. It’s funny that I’m saying this because, when we have quarrels, I’m the one who is always makulit. I’d say, ‘Talk to me now! Ayaw ko ng ganito katagal!’ The best thing to do is to give each other space.”

“But she never really gives me space because she wants everything to be finished on the same day,” Norman interjects. “Nakakaasar while it’s happening, but after that, you realize that if she didn’t make kulit, the fight wouldn’t have ended quickly.”

Another important factor in preserving a relationship, adds Norman, is acceptance. “Everyone has different styles. You accept that you’re not the same; and you have to live with that because you chose to be together. Embrace your differences.”