Marie Kondo has inspired so many people to tidy up their closets — including Jenna Bush Hager.
Jenna worked with Kondo to organize the closet of her youngest daughter, Poppy, and the transformation sparked joy all around.
Three-year-old Poppy’s closet was cluttered with clothes and shoes, many of which were hand-me-downs from her older sister, Mila.
Kondo, who has two daughters herself, began the tidying process the same way she does in her Netflix series: by kneeling on the carpet and introducing herself to the house.
Then she and Jenna got to work. The organizing guru told Jenna to keep any items that sparked joy and say goodbye to the rest.
Jenna learned the famous Kondo fold, which involves rolling clothes to make them more compact, as well as easier to see in drawers and on shelves.
It was tricky at times for Jenna to part with sentimental items.
“It’s hard, because I think a lot of the joy when you look at little kids’ clothes is the nostalgia of seeing them in it,” she said as she held one item in her hands. “But I don’t think it fits her anymore, so I think I have to say goodbye and thank you.”
Jenna's husband, Henry, even joined in with his own clothes.
Jenna asked Kondo how parents can encourage their kids to appreciate all their possessions.
“What I think is really important is for them to see how the parents interact with their things,” Kondo said, and that includes saying “thank you” to your belongings.
“So if you show them every day, when you put them away, you say, ‘Thank you very much for what you’ve done for me today,’” she said.
Before long, Jenna had filled two bags with Poppy’s clothing to donate, and the closet looked amazing. (Hoda Kotb's little girls, including baby Hope Catherine, will soon benefit from Jenna's hard work!)
When Poppy came home from school, she gave it her own seal of approval.
“This felt so good!” Jenna said.