Ester Pagès: "Being a mother has been like being a child again."

BarcelonaEvery day while we are having dinner, my son asks me what we talked about in The jungle, whom we've interviewed, how things have gone with his colleagues... And if he thinks I'm not doing something right, he'll tell me: "Mom, you spoke too fast here! You've gone too far!" And he's usually right. I'm fascinated by how he sees the world because he's so frank, honest, and observant that I try to listen to him.

At what time is it? The jungle I guess he does extracurricular activities.

— He's been learning English at his request since he was 4 years old. He told me one day he wanted to understand the lyrics. He plays tennis because both his father and I are tennis players. In fact, we fell in love playing a game. And he also plays basketball because his classmates played it. On Saturdays, we go watch the games, and we really love that he's playing a team sport. Being used to tennis, we're experiencing how, in basketball, you have the support of your teammates, the great strength that a team has.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to watch TV with your children, who prefer a tablet or mobile phone.

— We're not yet at the point where Pol can only look at his tablet in his room because we're strict about screen time, and he doesn't do it unsupervised. Since becoming a mother, I've read a lot about how cell phones and TV affect children's cognitive development, and we've set limits at home. But it's difficult. This is where his tantrums begin, along with my gasps for air to avoid getting angry. What we do have is the pizza and pizza plan on Fridays. That day, the three of us watch a movie together. An idyllic moment, except for the point of agreeing on the movie. Negotiations are tough around here.

What are you curious about all the things you see on TV?

— We've gone through different stages. From there, I only looked at dinosaurs, then I moved on to every car model on the market, to the intrigue of basketball and the life of Michael Jordan. We had a period where we looked at the SX3 space together. Listen to your body, a truly interesting program where scientists Salvador Macip and Zene ask questions like "What's snot for?", "Why does the heart beat?", and "Why do we fart?" This last episode was a real laugh. And now we're focused on football: Barça players, positions... We've had Lamine Yamal up to his neck.

What amazes you about the way he looks at things?

— I like the simplicity, the openness, and the sensitivity with which one views the world. When Pol reflects, he goes so far to the root of things that he makes them easy. And I love this. When something has worried me, as he has noted or spoken openly to me, he has had the ability to ask the key question, which seemed basic to me, but it is where I found what I was looking for.

And you, how do you look at it?

— Many times, when he's concentrating or playing, doing his homework or sleeping, I like to observe him. I look at him and trace his eyebrows, I look at his eyelashes and enter his eyes. I look at his hands, his feet, and I caress him, touching his skin. And I think: this is the most absolute love that exists. You feel like your heart would explode from loving him so much. It's a wonderful feeling, but at the same time, it's respectful. I must tell you that it's not new to me because in my house, my parents', things have always been this way. Through a combination of genetics and nurture, they have taught me to love intensely.

I've heard you say something beautiful: "Being a mother has been like being a child again."

— It's like being a child again, because the moments I spend with Pol are lived without a clock and without complexes. Since I was little, we've spent mornings and afternoons playing together. My favorite, Saturday morning. We chase each other around the house, we lie on the bed, we both lie on the floor like two meatballs, we have tickle fights... We rest a little because we're tired or someone has hurt themselves—usually it's me—and we go back. I've gone back to being the little girl who acted like a clown, thinking only about the here and now. Without worrying about anything else. What a liberation!

Tell me a memory that makes you smile.

— I remember when I was four years old, one day he looked at me and said, "I love you so much it makes me nervous."