Last Sunday, one of the best players of the Moscow elite club “What? Where? When?”, winner of the Crystal Owl prize and the title of “Best Club Captain” Ales Mukhin flew to Almaty to become a presenter at the penultimate game of the Almaty club. And the experts were the players from his team - Stanislav Mereminsky and Mikhail Malkin.
- Ales, how do you like Almaty? Did you have time to take a walk and see the city?
I liked Almaty last time, when we opened the Almaty elite club “What? Where? When?” First of all, I liked the people. Maybe I’m so lucky, but I communicate with the organizers; last time there was a lot of communication with the guests. We were walking along your pedestrian boulevard, people came up to us, talked, and I liked the kind of inner openness of people. This is very cool, it seems to me that this means that the country is on the right path, because people are not embittered, but, how can I put it correctly, well the right word- open.
I also liked Almaty because the city is trying to preserve some of the spirit of the city with history, and at the same time there are a lot of designer new buildings. If Astana is, in principle, new city with some fabulous buildings, then in Almaty this is done in separate areas. For example, your bypass road on the way to The Ritz-Carlton (Esentai Tower business center - Auto.), this deserves respect, I have seen this in the most developed countries ah peace, and it makes me very happy. There is no such thing in Belarus.
- Thank you, this is a compliment for all Almaty residents. You went to the mountains today. How do you like Medeu? Did you go ice skating?
You know, we didn't go ice skating, today was very heavy fog, and there wasn’t much time because I had to prepare for today’s event. We went to Medeu in order to touch a piece of our common history. We all know that many European and world records were set on Medeu. And of course I just wanted to see how it is the largest high-mountain skating rink in the world and remains so.
And, of course, Shymbulak. The cable car is one of the longest in the world, well, we rode for a very long time. We had a very foggy day today, and at some point, when the cable car was high above ground level, there was a very strange feeling: you are in the fog, and it goes so quietly, especially on one of the long stretches, it’s not even clear you’re standing or you go. Even a slight claustrophobia began - well, in a good way.
It’s great, well done, for supporting the infrastructure. I was surprised large number vacationers. They rode from the mountains, and busloads of students came to Medeu. It turned out that Kazakhstan is a sports country! This is wonderful!
You worked as a director of a perfume company, then at Euroset, then in a business not related to mobile communications. By the way, which one?
I now manage the largest holding company in Belarus for the production and sale of tea and coffee.
- Why tea?
First of all, it's good for people. There is such a social moment. I was offered some employment related to those products that are not always useful to people. It still seemed to me that tea and coffee are something that is always needed, and this is an eternal business if it is built correctly. You always want to work with confidence in the future. Well, in addition to this, these are colonial goods, which give a good markup and make it possible, with the right approach, to sell them well, to sell a lot. It so happens that in this company the owner is primarily a marketer. And, of course, it was important to arrange the business process in such a way that everything would work well. And I’ve been involved with this company for ten years now.
- What are your volumes? Do you sell tea only in Belarus?
No, over the years we have already built a large coffee production plant in Belarus. And he began shipping, including to Russian Federation. And there were even shipments to Kazakhstan, but this is not a systematic business. We are interested in the Kazakh market. This ground coffee, called Barista MIO. We had an interesting advertising campaign, where I, Vadim Galygin and another Belarusian celebrity - a singer, we made some noise on the Internet. And our company is large, more than a thousand people work there.
What do such leaps in the field of activity have to do with your versatility, or do you just go with the flow and see where it’s better to turn?
In fact, if you look deeply, there are no differences, because for the last exactly 20 years I have been leading people. I manage people, being the captain of the team “What? Where? When?”, I manage people in the Belarusian club “What? Where? When?”, being the general producer and host of the project, I do the same in the company “Karavan”, also as in Euroset, in the laundry and courier company. And what the business is based on is already a question of long-term or short-term strategy, these are slightly different questions. But basically I do the same thing everywhere.
Photo of the organizers of the game "What? Where? When?" Almaty
- So, first of all, you are a manager?
- In general, you are a historian by training. Apparently, this is where the first makings of a connoisseur came from?
I went into history because I initially had an interest in history and geography since childhood. At the age of six, I knew the capitals of all the countries of the world, for example, their outlines - what they look like, who borders whom, how and why exactly such borders were formed. But why the borders were formed in this way is already history. That is, it is impossible to get involved in geography, especially political, without mastering some historical moments. Therefore, when the question arose about higher education, I realized that I have strong English and am attracted to history.
In addition, historical science implies not only the presence of historical disciplines. We had such subjects as logic, rhetoric, which are extremely important in modern world in any case, in the same management, and in the game “What? Where? When?”
- So you combine hobbies, business, and life in one thing?
First of all, this is a hobby that has turned into a piece of life. Firstly, because we manage to show good results at the Moscow club for many years. And this story could have ended quite quickly if it hadn’t worked out. And when we opened a Belarusian TV club nine years ago, it was very difficult. It's very heavy creative process, related to the fact that "What? Where? When?" - this is one of the technologically complex programs television. Our Moscow colleagues have developed a whole brand book “What? Where? When?”, which we call among ourselves “the bible”.
- How does the game differ in mentality in Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus? What are the main differences?
It was a discovery for me not only that Kazakhs are sports people, but also that they are very gambling.
- We even have our own Las Vegas - the city of Kapchagay. Haven't you been there?
From the first game we went there to the after-party, to one of the casinos, they were our partners. We stopped by to visit them to see what your casinos look like. Although I don’t play in casinos, it’s not of any interest to me, but nevertheless it was interesting to meet the guys.
The first difference between Kazakhs is passion. Secondly, I was pleasantly surprised intellectual level teams that played in the two games I attended. With what confidence did they take very difficult questions, for me it was a revelation, to be honest. Because I understand that these are people who have never played “What? Where? When?” To me this means that they have a very strong background, which is very cool.
Photo of the organizers of the game "What? Where? When?" Almaty
- Who did you make friends with from Kazakhstani clubs?
We communicate most with the organizers, I really liked their approach to the matter, I liked how high the bar they initially raised the game to. Therefore, we actually have some kind of communication, not only when I am here, we consult on game formulas or technical issues. I can say that I usually don’t communicate as much with the organizers as I do with the guys here.
- You said about Kazakhstan. What are the differences between the game in Belarus?
You know, we have a very kind club. People often tell me that you should be meaner to experts. Even the spectators, who usually root for the experts, say this. Maybe this is due to the fact that I am a player myself and I am internally for them. But kindness also has limits, and main point The point is that we always strictly adhere to the rules of the game. Well, the charisma of the presenter is still very important thing. It matters who the leader is. The question is not even about the rules, but about how he knows how to catch the floor, what his signature serves are. In this sense, you are lucky and you have a whole parade of presenters.
- You are a perfectionist. Does this help or hinder you more?
I am a perfectionist, I try to be one, but not in every step I take, otherwise I would be some kind of tortured cracker, a bore. This often helps at work. I am a perfectionist in those things that I understand and that are a priority for me. This is where I try to do everything as well as possible.
Photo of the organizers of the game "What? Where? When?" Almaty
Ales, towards the end of our conversation I will ask probably the most unpleasant question for you. About your team player Ilya Novikov and Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko. Comment what was it?
All comments have already been given. We missed the season, now we are already playing with a new lineup. We spent a long time preparing ourselves mentally for this season, preparing hard for it in order to play with this particular coach and this roster.
We had a team that had been welded together for years. If, in general, one of the players can, in principle, be changed, then the team that formed at the time of Ilya’s departure was the strongest in the last 10 years. We proved this with results. They became the best team of the year, Ilya received a diamond owl. And here it’s the same as in football - the main striker left.
You know, I am very sorry when internal circumstances, either family or, as in this case, business, prevent one of the guys who are part of my team from continuing to play in the team. For example, Inna Druz moved to the USA, she no longer plays on my team. Although we played together for many years, she returned to us after pregnancy.
This is Ilya’s advocacy work - it was a widely publicized case that did not allow him to limit himself only to professional terms. Although before that he defended her for more than a year and played during that time. Therefore, I cannot blame the television crew for anything; they acted as correctly as possible. It was clear that as soon as Ilya begins to comment on this matter on some political plane, he cannot at the same time be the face of Channel One and at the same time adhere to some political views. That is, this is a conflict of interest.
We are also represented in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia - that is, there are a lot of internal conflicts there. "What? Where? When?" trying to stay out of politics as much as possible. I adhere to these views. As soon as we declare this or that political position, the game will cease to be a game in its pure form and will turn... into what we already see everywhere, and we really don’t want that.
Were there any fights within the team? Did you try to persuade Ilya to stay in the game and give up Savchenko’s defense?
No, it was Ilya’s conscious decision, we supported his position. This is not because some evil uncles or aunts did something behind mine or Ilya’s back. This is a decision that I, as team captain, respected. Many felt that without Ilya, having played together for many years before, we probably would not be able to play with such a lineup, simply replacing one player. Actually, that's what happened. That project, that team simply ceased to exist.
Photo of the organizers of the game "What? Where? When?" Almaty
- Is it difficult with the new team?
It was also harder with those guys until we got used to each other. Every team, when everything changes so categorically, it’s like new life. I have another visit to the game "What? Where? When?" as a newbie. Of course, the role of the captain is huge, but he cannot, no matter what he is, make the game alone. I have a team with experienced players, but no experience in an elite club. For example, Stas Mereminsky and Mikhail Malkin are guys who have been playing “What? Where? When?” for many years. and won many tournaments, but Mikhail played for many years as part of the same team, then for a long time didn't play. Stas also did not play for an elite club for many years. The girls from Minsk, who are on my team, played for a long time in the Belarusian club, but they never played in Moscow either.
So far it hasn't worked out for us, I'm dissatisfied with the game. We lost in the summer. Of course, those who were worried about us blamed the “top” for everything; it was a very nervous, anxious game. As soon as we take on some questions, a feeling of mutual agreement appears - we will get some kind of super blitz. There was no normal game, there was some kind of irregular game in terms of tempo. Or there was some fairly simple question, but we couldn’t grasp onto something and discussed it for three minutes. And we finally found the correct answer in the third minute, but this did us a disservice, because we had to answer the next question ahead of schedule. And at the same time, both Stas and Misha had the same answer options, they were given the answer, but both turned out to be wrong. But it’s okay, we are optimists, looking to the future. We hope everything will be fine in 2018. The team has very strong potential.
-Are you communicating with Ilya now?
I continue to communicate with Ilya. Literally on the way to Almaty, we met, had a wonderful evening, had dinner, and discussed his and my current lives. We are friends and have been friends all these years. I try not to let the social lives of my team players interfere with us being human. And Ilya is a man with a capital M, there is no question about that.
Ales Vasilievich Mukhin is a teacher and entrepreneur from Belarus, who won the position of captain of the “What? Where? When?". The strongest team leader participated in school tournaments from his youth before making a career in an elite club.
Childhood and youth
Ales Mukhin is a native of the Republic of Belarus (Minsk). Born in 1976, September 16. In an interview, he admits that in primary school he often did not attend classes and studied satisfactorily, although he had high intelligence. In high school, my interest in education grew along with my grades. There are few facts about the family in Ales’s biography.
From secondary school parents transferred Ales to educational institution with an emphasis on English. This could not but affect the choice of future profession: Mukhin later became a graduate of the Pedagogical University in Minsk, receiving the specialty “teacher of history and English language».
One school incident played a role in Ales’s education. In the eleventh grade, the future expert was in conflict with the history teacher, defending his point of view about the influence of some historical fact on the course of events. To prove he was right, as well as expand knowledge in this area, Ales decided to become a teacher.
With the games “What? Where? When?" I have known Mukhin since school. Youth team"AMO" took part in competitions at the regional level. Interest in intellectual tournaments did not disappear during his student days, and in 2001 the player was accepted into the ranks of an elite club.
Career
After receiving a higher education diploma, Ales Mukhin devoted time to business. He proved himself to be a brilliant entrepreneur in areas of activity that do not overlap with each other.
Mukhin took his first steps in the business world as director of a perfume company. Later he became the founder and leader of the Euroset branch in Belarus. During the time he was managing the branch, Ales Vasilievich managed to open 110 BelEvroset stores within the Republic.
Business in the field cellular communication Mukhin left in 2008, finding a more profitable position in the Caravan company, which supplies tea and coffee to the country.
“Caravan” became the main project in Ales’s life. Minsk sources publish materials about the company, employees and director with interest. According to Realt.by, in 2014 the company was already the largest supplier of coffee and tea on the Belarusian market.
The General Director approaches management issues creatively and responsibly, taking care of every detail of the business. According to Mukhin, Caravan employees and guests should feel comfortable. Ales cares about the prosperity of the company, and this can be seen in the management style, even in the interior, which was carefully worked on by a team of professionals.
It is known that a businessman puts maximum effort into any business. Persistence and competent business strategies allowed Ales Vasilyevich to be included in the list of the most successful people Belarus.
Besides entrepreneurial activity, Mukhin participates in the Belarusian “KVN” as a jury member. By the way, for some time he played as part of one of the teams.
"What? Where? When?"
To the elite club “What? Where? When?" Ales Mukhin came in 2001, immediately taking leadership of the team. Three years later, the captain was awarded the Crystal Owl, and later he received the title of “Best Team Player.”
In 2009, Ales Mukhin became the new host of the “What? Where? When?", which is broadcast in Belarus on the ONT channel. It is interesting that broadcasts on television brought Mukhin more popularity than the business projects to which the connoisseur devoted a significant part of his life.
The viewer knows Ales as a player and captain with a clear civic position, ready to defend the interests of the team. During the period of leadership in the games “What? Where? When?" There were both enchanting victories and loud conflicts.
Since the beginning of March 2016, the strongest player, two-time winner of the Crystal Owl, owner of the Diamond Owl, winner of the What? Where? When?" . He left the game quietly, without a scandal, so the audience came to their senses by the end of the summer, but this outcome was expected.
In 2014, Ilya Novikov acted as a lawyer in the case. From an interview with fontanka.ru it is known that the expert informed the producer of the program “What? Where? When?" O possible consequences scandalous case and agreed to leave the team at any time. For a couple of years, Novikov combined games (Mukhin’s team was the winner three times, Novikov was recognized as the best player) and advocacy.
As representatives of the program explained, the situation is directly related to politics, and the participants “What? Where? When?" should be far from it. For viewers there is no Ilya Novikov the lawyer, only an expert.
In 2016, towards the end of the Savchenko case, the controversy and scandals surrounding the trials became impossible to ignore. The producer, according to Ilya, asked Novikov to abandon the upcoming games. The expert agreed with the verdict and left the program before filming the spring series of games. Captain Ales Mukhin and other team members, following Novikov, refused to participate in the game.
Mukhin's new team in 2018 In 2017 it was introduced new line-up Mukhin's teams: Vera Rabkina, Daria Shevtsova, Nikolai Krapil, Mikhail Malkin, Stanislav Mereminsky. The scandal surrounding lawyer Novikov has subsided.
In the same year, Ales Mukhin appeared on the air of another intellectual game on Channel One - “Who wants to become a millionaire?”
Personal life
Successful in business and intellectually developed, Ales Mukhin is also an exemplary family man. WITH future wife Tatyana met the connoisseur in student years at a costume party.
Soon after the meeting, the young people entered into romantic relationship, and a few years later the couple legalized their relationship. In marriage, the Mukhin family had three children: Anton, Daria and Vasily.
Ales Mukhin now
Ales Mukhin’s team continues to participate in the series of games “What? Where? When?". On June 3, 2018, the second summer game aired. The players included: Vera Rabkina, Daria Solovey, Nikolai Krapil, Mikhail Malkin, Stanislav Mereminsky. The team snatched victory from TV viewers in the last round. Throughout the game the score remained in favor of the experts, and then leveled - 5:5. Vera Rabkina managed to give the correct answer, which brought the last winning point. The game ended with a score of 6:5 in favor of Ales Mukhin's team.
Team Mukhin in 2018Participant's name: Ales Vasilievich Mukhin
Age (birthday): 16.09.1976
City: Minsk, Belarus
Education: Faculty of History of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, majoring in “Teacher of History and English”
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Boy with beautiful name Ales was born and raised in the capital of Belarus, Minsk. Here he first attended a regular school, and then moved to a specialized English school.
As Mukhin himself notes, at that time he was very smart, but at the same time incredibly naughty.
Moreover in elementary and middle school he was an avid student of C grades and only in high school moved into the category of excellent students.
The unusual bias of the school from which Ales graduated left an indelible imprint on him. This can be judged because it future profession, which he received at the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after M. Tank, became the profession of a teacher of history and English.
Although Ales himself recalls that in the 11th grade he had a heated argument with a history teacher.
On the topic of interpretation of one of important events past and subsequently he decided to prove to himself that he was right and study this subject as thoroughly as possible.
About “What? Where? When?" the young man found out as a child. And just in new school The first club for this game was organized and Ales happily plunged into it. Over time, his team called “AMO” became the winner of many regional tournaments. At the university, Mukhin also continued to participate in games.
The Belarusian expert first appeared on the big screen in 2001, and immediately with the rank of captain of the team itself.
The first “Crystal Owl” went to this connoisseur in 2004. Ales also has the title of best captain.
Another important point biography of a connoisseur associated with an elite club occurred in 2009 - that’s when he became the host of the Belarusian version of ChGK on ONT TV channel.
There is one more interesting fact, which very clearly characterizes Ales Mukhin as a person and a player in “What? Where? When?". It so happened that in August 2016, one of the players on his team, namely Ilya Novikov, was suspended from participation for political reasons.
It so happened that this expert, being a lawyer, defended the well-known anti-Russian activist Nadezhda Savchenko in court.
The management of the TV show considered this behavior unacceptable (quote from the presenter: “Understand, if you are defending Savchenko and you are a ChGK player, then that means ChGK is also for Savchenko”). This situation struck Ales and in support of Ilya, the entire team refused to participate in the upcoming spring series of games.
In parallel with these successes, Mukhin’s family and business life proceeded rapidly. But first things first.
Despite his profession as a teacher, Ales devoted his life to business. At first, he headed a perfume company, then moved as a top manager to one of the Belarusian branches of the Euroset company. During his leadership, this company opened many stores throughout Belarus.
True, in 2008 Mukhin’s gaze fell on new project and he has no regrets transfers to the company "Karavan", which distributes tea and coffee. It should be noted that Ales holds a position here general director. Such a career is simply enchanting.
At the same time famous expert notes that he has never been aimed at his own benefit, he is simply interested in moving forward and is not at all afraid to take risks.
He also likes to say that he owes the lion's share of his success in his work to “What? Where? When?". It was this game that taught him to constantly develop and improve himself.
While still a student, Ales met his future wife Tatyana.
Moreover, their first meeting was quite non-trivial - Mukhin’s classmate invited him to a costume party, where he saw a girl in a wedding dress.
The girl amazed the young man so much that he immediately rushed into battle. Their relationship lasted for several years, then the wedding took place. In 1996, the wife gave the connoisseur their first child, Anton, and in 2004, their family was replenished with a daughter, Daria.
In addition to family and business, Ales has another passion - organ concerts and classical music in general.
How he decided to have a third child, how the search for the meaning of life ended, and what he did when everything seemed boring - Ales Mukhin told Komsomolskaya Pravda in the column “What Men Want” [photo]
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Ales and Tatyana got married while still students, he was 19, she was 20. After 20 years, the couple was raising adult children: Anton - 20, Dasha - 13. It would seem - live and enjoy. But the couple again plunged into baby diapers: on September 18, the wife gave birth to the 41-year-old expert’s third child - son Vasily.
Ales, you were born, as they say, with a golden spoon in your mouth: a late child of wealthy parents, who, in addition to inheritance, passed on your intelligence and intelligence. What else does a man need to be happy?
I am a supporter of the theory that happiness does not just happen, the strongest are lucky. Also, to remain happy and successful, you need to work hard. The most annoying thing is when people have luck, but they cannot take advantage of it. I am indeed a very lucky person in many matters: for example, in marriage.
- But at the age of 19, you probably didn’t know how to handle this luck?
That's right, thank God, I was born into a democratic family with the right moral principles, I was able to adopt a lot and build my relationship with Tatyana for mutual benefit. We divided areas of responsibility and agreed on basic values.
For example, that you cannot be offended by a loved one, much less carry this resentment within yourself. It’s better to say at the first opportunity how you like or don’t like it. For many, grievances accumulate for years, and as a result, a small twig ignites a fire, which almost leads to divorce. In our family, there is no such thing as someone carrying a pebble in their bosom; everyone speaks out at once. We teach children to do the same.
- But it was difficult at first?
Yes, but this, like any skill, is learned. The main thing is to want and understand why you are forced to break yourself. Happy family- this is exactly the incentive for which one must try in many matters.
- What else did you have to agree on in marriage?
I immediately said what I don’t do. I am a perfectionist in life and try to do only those things that I do well. I try to ensure that my financial condition, starting from my early youth, allows me to attract professionals so that they do well what I cannot do.
For example, while on vacation in Spain, when they called me and said that in Minsk the entire riser in our house was turned off because I had flooded four floors, I took out a certificate stating that three weeks ago a plumber from the housing office changed the faucet. On the one hand, it’s like I’m not a man, because I didn’t change the faucet myself, on the other hand, it was changed by a professional. Yes, it’s unprofessional, but it still saved me the budget for renovations of neighbors’ apartments.
Or, for example, if I know that a particular pate is well made in a particular cafe, I would rather buy it there than force Tanya to train to make the pates that I love.
“I want it to be my way, and I create the conditions for how it can be”
As I understand from your few interviews, you don’t know how to do much in the family, and that’s why marriage is luck for you. Does your spouse cope successfully with everyday life while you earn money?
Yes, but I understand that Tatyana’s possibilities are also not limitless, I didn’t marry a housewife, but the woman I loved. Therefore, my task, ever since my hungry student days, was to save and buy new technical household items in order to make my wife’s life easier. For example, a mixer that 20 years ago ground vegetables for little Antoshi. The update process is never-ending. Recently, on September 16, it was my birthday, and my friends gave us a robot vacuum cleaner.
I had a dishwasher in my dacha at a time when many houses had never even heard of it. So that the wife does not waste time and effort on washing dishes after the departure of the numerous guests who like to visit us.
- Practically ideal husband. But do you have any shortcomings?
I have a lot of them. I'm neat and tidy. Therefore, my poor family is forced not to throw socks and handbags throughout the apartment, but to put them down and put them in their places. A whole compartment in the closet has been prepared for women's handbags. I want it to be my way, but at the same time I create the conditions for how it can be.
- But many will tell you that a spectacular handbag is a decoration for any apartment!
Absolutely right: this is what we are fighting against (smiles).
I also love delicious and exclusive food. To have beautiful napkins and dishes on the table. We rarely eat what we cooked yesterday. At the same time, once a week we have daddy’s day. And since I don’t cook myself, I take my family to a cafe or restaurant. It's called "daddy cooked it."
And what should be on Ales Mukhin’s table in the remaining six days? Will you refuse to try pasta with sausages?
It’s just that I don’t like pasta, so I won’t... In general, half of my friends are sure that I didn’t marry my wife, but my mother-in-law. In the summer we often live at the dacha, so Tanya relaxes in the summer and her grandmother cooks.
- Money, women, self-realization - in what order would you place the main male desires?
Self-realization is ahead simply because it helps my family live well. I simply don’t deal with issues in which self-realization does not help my family live well - for example, visiting a fitness club. To maintain physical fitness I like to walk my dog in the evening: it feels good for both the dog and me, and it’s good for the family...
In fact, I always lack time; this is the main resource that I always want to take somewhere. That's why I live strange life: I always do two or even three things in parallel.
- But this quickly depletes the nervous system.
Yes, that’s why a vacation for me is a beach for 10 days, of which the first five I just lie down. I allow myself such a vacation a couple of times a year.
- Self-realization is clear, but what about women?
I can't say that I'm not interested in women. I'm happy for my son when he gets beautiful girl. I enjoy working and communicating with people who are beautiful internally and externally. But money is also extremely important for me: it is not an end in itself, but a tool to live the way I want, in those hours when I do not earn money. But we don’t save money, it doesn’t work out.
- But is it possible to save $200 a month?
It's kind of petty. If you need a large purchase, we borrow money from the bank. I think this is correct. Because today I went to a restaurant instead of saving 50 dollars, and tomorrow I bought a car.
- Yeah, and then I gave the bank a quarter of what I borrowed.
Yes, everything has its drawbacks. But there is also a proverb: don’t have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends. And you can borrow from them if you really need it! But I have a goal - I understand that now this money must be given away.
“Our three children were raised by three different Alesyas and three different Tanyas”
Car, apartment, dacha, captaincy in the Moscow “What? Where? When?”... Sometimes accomplished men worry that everything in this life has already happened, that everything has been achieved, that everything is boring. What do you want?
This is exactly the period I experienced a year ago, which is why I gave birth to Vasenka.
So, is it true that the birth of a third child in a long marriage is an attempt to cheer up oneself, and often family relationships?
These are completely new emotions and definitely a reboot of relationships and family. It's like pressing the start button: “Go!” Only if tactical missiles shoot out the steps, then here you, on the contrary, shoot them towards you.
After forty, it seems to many that the children have already grown up, and all the pleasures have been tried, and passions have cooled, often spouses become friends. It is at this time that many divorces occur...
I’m generally surprised how every normal family, where the level of respect and health of the spouses has been preserved, cannot figure out the secret of happiness - having a child after forty. This is generally a recipe for improving and strengthening the relationship between a woman and a man.
I remember my parents, they were very young, because they had me, whom they gave birth to at 38 years old. It is my deep conviction that late children are a recipe for happiness in the relationship between mom and dad.
- But someone will agree that children are the flowers of life, and someone will say that they are a burden and responsibility.
Yes - a burden, a responsibility, but these are new colors of life. The one who walks will master the road. Life is boring for someone who is not interested in anything. If we are talking about the relationship of a couple who, by the age of forty, went through everyday life, children together, travel, experienced all the emotions, some even accumulated negative ones, perhaps there were betrayals, grievances accumulated, but the people remained together - everything went through...
- Can this be reset?
Yes, through a child, all this can at least be reset and rebooted. Because a child as a student is like our Antoshka, and in mature age- like Vasenka - this is completely different. If we take our three children, we can say that they were raised by three different Alesyas and three different Tanyas.
Psychologists are sure that a child is also a huge risk, a test for a couple: weak marriages are finished off, strong ones are strengthened. But what a risk, it’s really hard, especially for women. And a man who is already accustomed to being independent must harness himself. Are you ready?
What is our life? Game! Nothing happens in this life without risk, nothing happens without risk. strong emotions. There is no strong satisfaction unless some great work has happened before.
“The wife perceived the thought of a third child as fantasy and a whim”
For the last three or four years I have been dreaming about having a baby. This has always happened in life. When my first-born Antoshka was born, I was happy for the first five years, and then I started following Tanya and whining: “I want a girl.” Dasha was born.
For the last two or three years, I have been following my wife and saying that we are still able, by all parameters, to give birth to a third child. Tanya perceived this as fantasy and a whim.
- The master, you see, wanted...
Yes (laughs). I understood that, first of all, this is a test for a woman; here I must give my wife her due. I am simply delighted with Tanya and grateful to the bottom of my heart. Maybe this is a whim of the master, but it is happiness when a woman understands. That's why I said that my luck happened when I was 19.
- Many, when it seems that they have achieved everything, begin to look for the meaning of life. Have you tried it?
I was looking too. But for that last year, when I got bored, I didn't find it. Maybe I’m not a thinker, but I haven’t found any meaning in life that is exclusive to me. So when we realized that we would have a child if we wanted it, I made every effort to make it happen. Because, perhaps, this is the meaning of the next 10 - 15 years. Everything coincided so well that I do not regard it as anything other than God’s providence...
As for men's desires, I always wanted a good strong family, like my parents, I wanted to have a loving, understanding and sometimes even forgiving person nearby, because I am far from a gift in everyday life, quite emotional, I don’t do what I don’t want.
I also always asked God for healthy children who would grow up to be Humans with a capital “H”, so that He would show me how to do this. I wanted to have reliable and understanding friends nearby with whom we love to spend time.
- Do you understand that Vassenka will take up a significant part of the time devoted to friends?
Not a fact. We have a joke when I want to involve children in useful work, but they resist, I say: “Why did I give birth to so many of you if you can’t do it (laughs)”? I think this argument will be used with Vasily. In addition, I told the elder Anton to get ready: for him, the birth of Vasenka is a test in battle, let him train (laughs).
DOSSIER "KP"
Ales MUKHIN, captain of the team of the Moscow elite club “What? Where? When?”, author and presenter of the Belarusian television version of the game. He graduated from the Faculty of History of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University with a degree in teaching history and English. Since the late 90s, he has headed large commercial structures of various directions. Now he runs the largest tea and coffee holding company “Karavan”. Wife Tatyana - editor-in-chief TV project “What? Where? When?" in Belarus." Son Anton, daughter Daria, son Vasily.