A large part of parenting is rapidly forming sensical answers to children's never-ending, inquisitive questions.
But, Charlize Theron has proven she has a certain knack for it when she was recently quizzed by her youngest daughter on her relationship status.
Speaking to Diane Von Furstenberg on her podcast, In Charge, the Old Guard actor opened up to the designer about the interaction.
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'A couple of months ago I was in the car with my two girls and my little one said something like, "You need a boyfriend,"' Theron explained.
'I said, "Actually, I don't right now. I feel really good."
Theron said her youngest daughter persisted, saying that her mum did need both a 'relationship' and a 'boyfriend', leading Theron to give her daughter a valuable lesson.
'I said, "I am in a relationship. I'm in a relationship with myself right now,"' stated Theron. 'Then she had this look in her eye like she'd never really contemplated that that was a possibility and I said, "That is a really important thing for you guys to know."
'...I remember looking back in the mirror at my little five-year-old's face. Her mind was blown but I know that was the day she realised there is a different possibility.'
Theron continued, speaking of the stigma that 'women fail when they're not in relationships or that it's their fault', saying she hopes that parents are now raising a generation of women to know that 'there is absolutely no shame in being in a relationship with yourself'.
Theron recently discussed how marriage has never been a priority for her, simultaneously shutting down age-old rumours that she was engaged to ex-boyfriend Sean Penn.
'I've never wanted to get married,' the actor said. 'That's never been something that's important to me.'
Instead, Theron said that she is complete thanks to the 'two loves of her life', her daughters, Jackson and August.
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Charlize Theron's Style File
Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
